The Ways Of God

God always gives us "choices" and often how we choose is directly related to where we are spiritually and how we understand God.  Think for a minute about trials and difficulties in your life.  When you are confronted with some difficulty you have to make a choice that usually boils down to answering this question: Will I respond "my way" or "God's way" to this situation?  Obviously, God wants us to respond His way.

It is God's heart that we really know Him and know His ways.  Even though Isaiah 55:9 tells us that God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours,  it doesn't mean that God's ways and thoughts can't be known, because they can.  We just have to be aware of the mistakes and pitfalls.

Mistakes We Make

 When trying to discover the ways of God, there are several mistakes Christians make.

• We seldom focus on God's way. (We gravitate to the carnal and physical rather than the spiritual.)
• We follow our reasoning instead of listening to God.  (The problem with this is that our reasoning is often "flawed.")
• We act on impulse rather than asking what God would have us to do.
• We act in our own strength rather than God's strength. (The Lord told Paul that "my strength is made perfect in weakness."  In other words when we are weak, God is strong.)
• We fail to consider future consequences for our decisions. (This is the most dangerous of mistakes.  We must consider the outcomes of the decisions we make.  If they are based on God's ways then we know we will be successful.)

What Happens When You Do Things God's Way?

Wonderful things happen when we follow God's ways.  First you will experience God's power and blessings in your life.  This is a power that works in "unusual" ways and blessings that are beyond anything you could imagine.  Secondly, when you do things God's way you will quickly realize that God can accomplish more in a brief period of time than you could in a lifetime doing it your way.  Doing things God's way also helps you to develop intimacy with God to the point that you begin to live by His principles.  And finally, your life impacts everyone around you when you do things God's way. 

God Makes His Ways Known

Psalm 103:7 tells us the "He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel."  God wants us to know His ways and also enjoy His acts!  Lets start today!

God bless you and I pray you will seek God's ways and find fulfillment in your life. Are you diligently seeking God's ways or are you content with going it on your own?

Listen to the Podcast of this message at www.bcchoctaw.org

The Virtue of Patience (Part 4)

Where Are You When It Comes To Patience?

It is spiritually incumbent upon the believer to express patience in their lives as a testimony to what God can do.  Remember, patience, is the "will to wait upon God without irritation, frustration, worry, anxiety, fear or anger."  Many people don't recognize the lack of patience in their life.  To help  you identify where you are on the patience scale, consider the following questions:

• How do you react to the lack of patience in yourself?

• What feelings do you experience when you're impatient?

• What negative consequences have you experienced when you were impatient?

• What thoughts block your ability to be patient?

• What thoughts would help you gain patience?

• What behavior do you need to change in order to be more patient?

• When presented with a problem, difficulty, or conflict, where do you rate on the patience scale of 1-10, with 10 being most impatience?

Considering these questions "honestly" will help you to see where you are in regards to patience, and what you can do to develop this fruit of patience in your life.

 How To Develop Patience

There are several steps you can take to develop this virtue of patience in your life.  

• Recognize "difficulties" as opportunities.  This requires are "mindset" change and it often comes over time.  It's a situation where you recognize the problems that generally upset you and you make a "conscious" decision to view them as opportunities for growth.

• Accept that you have personal responsibility but also that you are human and can make mistakes.  Don't expect perfection, but do expect growth and change in the area of patience.  When you do make a mistake, then be willing to forgive yourself.

• Remember patience is a "Fruit of the Spirit."  God will develop it in your life as you experience and go through trials and tribulations.

• Remember, faith and patience are intermingled.  James 1:2-4

Patience In Conflict

The times that it is the most difficult to express patience is usually during the times of conflict.  There are eight steps you can follow that will help you be patient when conflict arises:

1. Pray
2. Control your thoughts
3. Control your emotions
4. Refrain from forcing your opinion
5. Listen without reacting
6. Forgive
7. Express encouraging words
8. Have a positive attitude

Patience is necessary in many areas of our life.  It is a virtue that, when demonstrated, can have a great impact on the lives of those who see it.  What are you doing to be more patient with those in your circle of influence?  What are you doing to be more patient with those "outside" your circle who you barely know?  Your patience can make all the difference in the world.

The Virtue of Patience (Part 3)

Everyone struggles with expressing patience on some level and with certain situations.  For many it's just easier to express their impatience with the person or circumstance than it is to have patience and wait.

The patience God desires for His followers to have is one with a "willingness to wait upon Him in difficult circumstance."  Unfortunately, too many exercise "impatience" which is the "inability to tolerate delay."

In this update, I just want to recap a few of the "characteristics" of impatience, and what motivates it.

Impatience Says:

• I don't trust God and my timing is better than His.
• I'll use my resources instead of waiting for God's.
• I know what is important better than God.
• I want my way more than I want God's will.
• I'm more concerned about my feelings than my future.
• Life revolves around my desires, wants, and needs.

What Motivates Impatience
Impatience can be motivated by many different feelings and emotions.  Feelings such as doubt, anger, fear, selfishness, and even rebellion all cause us to be impatient.  If you aren't careful, these emotions will drive your desire to want things to happen on your schedule and timing rather than God's.

Spiritual Obligation
We have a spiritual obligation to express patience.  The scriptures admonish us to "be like Christ."  And Christ was always willing to wait for the Father's timing.  How about you?