“Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” Job 42:3b

If there was any one man on earth who had reason to question God’s love, it was Job. He lost his family, his health, and his wealth - all at the same time. His friends came to his side only to question his spirituality. God had already answered the question of his integrity. Job was described in the opening verses of the book as “blameless and upright” (see Job 1:1). His calamities were not born from sin. Job acknowledged God’s right to do anything in his life until one day he could take it no longer. He questioned God’s motives.

God answered Job, but not in the way he wanted to hear. God answered him with a series of questions that represents the most incredible discourse of correction by God to any human being. Three chapters later, Job realized that he had questioned the motives of the Author of the universe, the Author of love. He fell flat before his Creator and realized his total depravity. “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

Have you ever questioned God’s activity in your life? Have you questioned His love for you based on circumstances that came your way? The cross at Calvary answers the love question. He sent His own Son in replacement for your sin. If you were the only person on earth, He would have done the same. His ways cannot always be understood or reconciled in our finite minds. That must be left for a future time when all will be understood. For now, entrust your life to Him completely. Embrace Him in the hard times and the good. 

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Am I ready for a Relationship?

Posted by h3sean on March 22, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Posted in: Dating and Courtship, Marriage

This question has been the conversation in the minds of a lot of single people out there – whether young or old alike. And it indeed is a valid question as I and a lot of other leaders and pastors have been asked the same one in different variations over and over again.

This entry has been inspired by a conversation between me and my mentor and friend pastor Joby Soriano while we were going home after he spoke in B1G Night. It’s been a long while since I’ve blogged about relationships.

“What’s the sign that I can enter a relationship?”

“How can I tell if I’m ready?”

“Am I  going to pursue her?”

“Is it time for me to entertain suitors?”

Has this question or something quite like it ever crossed your mind? I know it crossed mine. At some point in time we find ourselves longing for a mutual relationship with the opposite sex. It is natural. It is God-designed. It is how we are supposed to be.But it ain’t so wise to just indulge yourself in a relationship without counting the costs.

When you build a house, count the cost.

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? – Luke 14:28

So as when you want build a home (which, by the way, should be your goal when entering a relationship),you better have the cost all figured out.

First thing I tell people who ask me about this question is: Are you financially stable?

Why is this my first question? Simple. Because the vast majority who ask me this question already gets ruled out when it comes to finances. Are you able to support yourself? Howbout a partner? Howbout a family? As my current discipler, Aumar Aguilar tells our group: “Don’t save up for the wedding, save up for marriage.”

If your answer is no then I’d probably tell you straight to your face that you’re not ready yet.

Know your capabilities when it comes to finances. Money is always a factor when it comes to building a family. Don’t ever think otherwise.

A Question of faith

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6:33

Second thing I ask is: How is your spiritual walk with God?  How is your quiet time?I ask this question because obviously, it is of utmost importance that you know your ultimate goal in life – which is to please and glorify God. Involving yourself in a relationship without knowing and having that goal in your heart will make you lose focus and will definitely not help out in your pursuit of God. If you cannot love an infinite God, how much more can you love a man or a woman who is finite and who will someday, somehow disappoint you?

If your focus is right, and your heart is in pursuit of God, then He will be the one to let things fall into place with you and your future partner in life. You just have to know Him first and be able to trust Him completely that He knows what is best for you, who is best for you and what time is going to be best for you in all aspects of your life.

When it all boils down to a choice

“Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment” – Proverbs 4:7

Third thing I ask: Are you pursuing wisdom? Do you think you can make wise choices?

Wisdom and humility is always something to pursue. It is more precious than anything this world can offer. It is something that should be held in high regard. It is my favorite gift from God that He has given to man. It is vitally important for me to ask this question because wisdom will be essential in guiding you through a relationship and consequently, through marriage.

There will be times when life offers you extremely difficult choices. And when push comes to shove and life shakes you, you have to make wise decisions. If you can’t seem to make them now, then how much more can you make them when you’re into a relationship? The consequences will double –and when you make the wrong one, you’ll bring a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering not only to yourself but to your partner and to your family.

Get wisdom. Read books, look for mentors, walk with God and ask Him for His wisdom.

Feelings come and go

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” – Jeremiah 17:9

Fourth thing I ask: How is your emotional stability?

Emotions will sway you here and there. It is deceitful. If you aren’t careful, you will be swayed and get sidetracked off your walk with God. Especially so when troubles come your way to shake your relationship. If your thoughts and wisdom are not in control of your emotions, your emotions will be the one to dictate your thoughts – and that becomes extremely dangerous, both for you and your partner.

Emotions are a very powerful thing. It can make you laugh, cry, it can make you buy things, it can kill you through worry, it can do a lot of things to your body and thoughts. Therefore emotions directly affects your decisions. And as I’ve mentioned earlier, decision making is explicitly crucial in handling relationships.

Feelings come and go. And if you’re not wise to differentiate, suppress, delay or let out your emotions then it’s going to greatly affect your relationship in a way that’s also consequently going to be emotional for your partner. Know how to be wise over your emotions.

Live to love

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own” – 1 Corinthians 6:19

Last thing I ask: Are you mindful of your physical health?

I always tell people,”if you really love your family, you will take care of your health to live long for them because they love you.” Being physically healthy goes a long way. It is just as important in a relationship as wisdom is. Loving someone is wanting the best for that person therefore if you are giving yourself to that person you MUST be in your best physical condition and you have to take care of that.

In order to take care of your future spouse and family, you have to be healthy. Otherwise it is your family who will take care of you. Do not neglect the physical aspect of your life. Your body is regarded very highly being declared to as the temple of the Holy Spirit. No, not a garden of the Holy Spirit, not a home of the Holy Spirit, but a TEMPLE. So regard it as such when it comes to your future spouse and family.

Keep these in mind

All these things have to be developed now. Don’t start when you “fall in love”. Start loving your future partner in life and family NOW.

Sean Si is a blogger, writer, web developer and an SEO specialist in profession. Sean Si writes in his blog site  God and You. He is also a featured ACT LIKE A MAN blogger. You will be reading more of his thoughts on this blog.

http://www.actlikeaman.org/ready-relationship/

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Dear God,

I praise you and worship you today, for you are great and mighty and do awesome things! You hear my prayers and you answer. Just as your word promises, when I come to you truly BELIEVING, you will bless that faith. Thank you for the healing miracles you have brought about, to your glory. God it is wonderful for the world to see what you have done and what you are doing, because that is a witness to them that you ARE God. I pray today for all my loved ones and the loved ones of my brothers and sisters in Christ, that they will see you and know you; that they will repent and renew; that they will come to you with broken hearts and willing spirits. Please will reach out and touch them. Shake their souls and draw them to you. Save their souls…and lead the backslidden back into the fold. Give them strength to do what is right. May you always be glorified by my life and every one of your children’s lives.

With all my heart I pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:17-20). You may never be flogged for your faith. However, you may very well be brought before others to give account for what you believe. It may be at a water cooler, or it could be during lunch with a coworker. In whatever situation you find yourself, the Holy Spirit awaits the opportunity to speak through your life to that person who needs to hear. Ask the Lord whom He wants to speak to today through your life.

 Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.

This weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day with a special message from Pastor Steven entitled, “Frustrations of a Fixer.” This message was challenging, uplifting and taught us how to release ourselves from some of the frustrations we encounter in life. If you missed it, read some of our favorite moments below or watch the entire message here.

In 1 Samuel 1:1-11, we read the story of Elkanah and Hannah. Elkanah, a wealthy man, had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. Hannah was often taunted and tormented by her rival over this fact. Meanwhile, Elkanah showed great love for Hannah through everything he did. Yet, none of his efforts could relieve the pain that Hannah felt as a result of her inability to bear children. Pastor Steven likened this story to the frustrated expectations we face today as we try to fix situations that only God can fix. Here’s some of the things we learned through their story.

It’s not all about you. Often, as Pastor Steven said, we approach people “from the center of ourselves,” expecting that any troubles or frustrations are a direct result of something that we did wrong. This tension is the root of our frustrated expectations and ties the peace of God in our lives to our ability to fix other people. We need to say, “I will not allow anyone else’s frustration to define me as a failure.” When you bear the responsibility of fixing things, there’s nothing more frustrating than a lack of progress.

Don’t expect a relationship to fulfill a purpose that it was not designed to fulfill. At the heart of Elkanah’s frustration was his desire to use his love to compensate for the grief that plagued Hannah. Meanwhile, Hannah was still frustrated with her unhealed brokenness. Either way, any affirmation someone could give them would ultimately leak from their broken hearts. As Pastor Steven said, many of our disappointed or frustrated relationships are a direct result of us placing the responsibility of affirmation and healing on people that are just as broken as we are.

Give God His job back. Pastor Steven challenged us to release these people from the responsibility to play God in our lives. Once you relinquish yourself and others from being God, you can cooperate with what He wants to do in your life. We all have either tried to fix something that only God can fix and we’ve all found frustration in expecting others to fix something that was meant for God to fix. If you’ll just let God do His job, He will do it far better than you ever could!

What’s one relationship you need to release control of to God?

http://www.stevenfurtick.com/?s=what+you+have+left+when+you+have+nothing+left

“He went out to meet Asa and said to him, ‘Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.’” - 2 Chronicles 15:2

Asa was the king of Judah from 912-872 B.C. He reigned for 41 years and was known as a good king who served the Lord with great zeal. He reformed many things. He broke down idol worship to foreign gods; he put away male prostitutes and even removed his own mother from being queen because she worshiped an idol. The Scriptures say that as long as he sought the Lord, the Lord prospered his reign.

However, Asa was not totally faithful in his calling. There came a time in his life when he made a decision to no longer trust in the God of Israel. He lost his confidence in God as his deliverer. The prophet Hanani came to Asa to inform him that God’s blessing was no longer on his life because of an ungodly alliance he had made.

Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war (2 Chronicles 16:8-9).

There are no guarantees that if we began well we will finish well. The life of Asa tells us this. It is only through God’s grace that we can be faithful to our calling. Each of us is capable of falling away from God. Pray that God will keep you faithful to the purposes He has for your life. He strengthens those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.