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Why Are You Being So Sensitive?

8/22/2014

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
(Ezekiel 11:19)

Photo Courtesy of Pastorsponderings.org

"Man, I didn't know you were that sensitive. You tried to play like the big bad wolf before," he said through the other end of the phone receiver. I had the mind to object, and accuse him of being "sensitive." I hated that word. Hated it. I was strong, not "sensitive," I could handle anything. He sounded like I'd really revealed another side of myself, someone he didn't know. And to be honest with you, I don't think he knew who I was either. There was a time where my poker face was my greatest attribute, because I could fake smile, and nonchalantly get out of any uncomfortable situation. But when he said that, all I could do was say "I guess I am that sensitive."

I'd thoroughly endured a transformation, and experienced something I'd been frightened of....vulnerability. God gave me the chance to trust Him with my heart, and I took the opportunity. Therefore my heart began to change. No longer could I say or just accept whatever someone wanted me to. You see, when we decide to give our lives over to God in our conscience rests the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to gauge between what is right and what is wrong. As believers we have to let God soften our hearts so that we can be "SPIRITUALLY SENSITIVE" to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We need a heart that is sensitive to God's every touch, and His still, small voice.

In Ezekiel 11:19 God promises to give us a new spirit. He also says that a heart of flesh will replace our once hardened heart. So all of those unfortunate past experiences, insecure struggles, and heedless moments that have created barriers around our hearts will be removed. No longer will we have to be subject to pretending, but instead understanding that there is nothing wrong with being compassionate, kind, and hopeful.

We are given the opportunity of a lifetime, to actually feel and understand how our fellow brothers and sisters do. But, this is not just any sort of feeling, but one that allows an experience beyond just us. The magnitude of the empathy that we can feel can be outrageous! In 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 the bible says "3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

So what am I saying? Be all soft and sensitive? Let people walk all over you? No. I am telling you that there is nothing wrong with being sensitive. Hardhearted people not only hurt themselves but other people. God wants you to be transformed with a heart of flesh. A heart that feels, and understands that anything that threatens it will be stopped by God. He's the security guard of a lifetime! Love you guys! God bless!

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A Garden of Righteousness By: Susan Sampson

8/16/2014

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"A Garden of Righteousness"

By: Susan Sampson, Thistlebend Ministries

Now is the time, now is the season;
For the glory of God, that is the reason.
Now is the time, time to uproot;
The sin in our heart, that we may bear fruit.

Our hearts are dry and crusty ground;
Nothing of beauty is there to be found.
Weeds of selfishness, laziness and pride abound,
Nothing worthy of a crown.

Lord, this is certainly not your vision;
This dry and ugly weed-infested garden.
A well-watered garden is your perfect plan.
The display of your splendor to show all of man.
Father, help me, I can't do this alone;
Look at all of the weeds that have grown.

Please help me break up the ground of my heart.
Yes - the word of God is where to start.
For God's words are the seeds I now must sow;
Yet it is only God who can make things grow.

I must sow the word in my heart and mind;
And meditate on God's law day and night.
I must plant in my heart seeds of righteousness;
The Lord will bring the beautiful harvest.

We will reap the fruit of unfailing love
If we don't grow weary or give up.
Like a well-watered garden our hearts will be;
Like a spring whose water runs so free.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;
Oaks of righteousness for His delight.
So seek first His righteousness and plant those seeds;
Cry out to your Father in true humility.

The reward will be so fragrant and sweet
Beautiful blossoms - love, joy and peace!
Praise be to the One who alone can grow!
Praise be to the Lord -

For the crop He has grown;
A hundred times more than what was sown!

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Coming Out of The Closet...

8/13/2014

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Photo courtesy of Smithmag.net

In our culture "Coming out of the closet" is a phrase predominately used in reference to a homosexual man or woman coming out of hiding in regards to their sexual preference. However, when I hear it, I think of an entirely different closet. A closet filled to the brim with rags of memories and old worn out excuses. A closet that for me allowed the misconception that everything was prim and perfect, when in reality behind those doors were dark thoughts, and a grim past.

The 40-day devotional that I finished today challenged me to take a "Heart Inventory." Now I know you're probably thinking that seems pretty easy right? All you have to do is figure out what's in your heart right?? I thought it was going to be that accessible too. No, not in the least bit. It required me to ask to be made uncomfortable and revealed completely. This unveiling divulged so much so that I could see those ugly parts of myself. The parts that I had conveniently decorated with potted flowers and sprayed with fine perfumes, were no longer as pretty. There were people that I needed to forgive, and chains that needed to be broken. So there I was... "Coming out of the Closet."

My closet was pretty hidden, and I have to give myself a great deal of credit for hiding it so well. But, I also look at it and wonder what I'd done. I'd been harboring this vault of shame, defeat, insecurity, and fear. I'd masked it with pseudo-laughter, and half smiles. My mind could not rest, I could not sleep, and I was not eating... Yet, I still was living life like everything was okay. It made me wonder if I'd just let go of all of that how free I would actually feel. So I asked to be healed, set free, and delivered.

We live in a society that promotes the ideal of not showing feelings, and vulnerability being a weakness. However, 2 Corinthians 3:18 says "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." So with an unconcealed heart and transparent smiles we become that much closer to Christ. We are able to transform into His image because we are no longer entangled in the thorns of our own. Our own tattered, prideful image is what keeps us so stagnant.

So in the midst of trying to somehow figure out why I was not happy I found the key to ultimate joy. I just so happened to "stumble" across it, and I pray that you allow God the chance to do the same for you. The next time you hear the phrase "Coming out of the Closet," don't just equate it to what the world thinks it is. Take the time today to open up that heart and come out of your closet, so that you can let Him in. The unveiling is worth it ! Love you guys! God bless you!

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead," (Phillippians 3:13-14)

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Am I Mad at God?

8/12/2014

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1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. 4 In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
(Psalm 22: 1-6)

Photo courtesy of In This Moment

I slammed my fist against the wall and my entire body begin to shake. My voice had escalated to a yell, and my hands were trembling. "GOD, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" I wailed through frustrated lips with my eyes still closed, and my heart beating in my ears. Before I knew it, my legs grew weak, and I slid down to my knees. My voice still rung in my ears. I was mad at God, and I wanted him to know it.

My plans did not work out, and I felt as though I'd fallen flat on my face. I'd been the one praying, and fasting... Yet, it seemed as though God had overlooked me and forgotten that I was in need of a blessing. Nothing was going my way, and I could not take that. My God! I'm supposed to be in New York living in the big city, fulfilling the internship of my dreams. I felt like He'd put the dream at the very tip of my fingers and snatched it away. NOTHING was going my way.

In the midst of my anger I began to feel guilty for being mad at Him. Then I remembered how David must have felt when he asked God "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" in Psalm 22. David was greatly favored in God's eyesight, and he still found himself blinded by his anger towards Him. But as I continued to read Psalm 22, in verses 22-31 I find David rejoicing and praising God. David had a moment of insecurity and doubt, he complained to God, but then he realized exactly who he served.

So I had a decision to make. Either I was going to be angry with God and stand in offense because of what was happening...or I could trust Him anyway, and praise Him despite my emotions. While kneeling there in my anger, somehow I still felt God's presence. He was listening to me, as I was honest with both Him and myself. I even recalled in Matthew 27 that Jesus spoke the same words as David. "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46).

The flesh causes bouts of doubt and pure unbelief.When we are angry we place a blockade between ourselves and God, and so we must let go of our pride and allow Him back in. The last thing that we want is a distancing between ourselves and someone we love... Further more, someone that loves US. We get angry, and God knows this, so He tells His people to "Anger, but sin not" (Ephesians 4:26). We are very human, and our flesh fights our spirit man daily. But we must allow ourselves to be submerged in faith, and trust God to ease the winds when the waves get too high. You will not be shaken by storms, and your feet are steady. God bless you! Love you!

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Why Are You Being So Sensitive?

A Garden of Righteousness By: Susan Sampson

Coming Out of The Closet...

Am I Mad at God?

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