Repetition and Gods Plan For Us

How often do we grow up hearing the same old sayings, "act your age", "forgive yourself", and my all time favorite, "all in good time". I want you to take a second right now and think of three, maybe, five main phrases you've heard not just once or twice, but 7, 10, even, 15 times. Now ask yourself, did you take the message seriously? Was it clear after even the 4th time hearing it that you should live by those words passed down you?

Most likely not; after all, we are all stubborn in which we think we know what is best.

Being set in our ways is natural, especially when we are young, and have faith in nothing but ourselves. Just like the bible teaches us to learn from our biblical lineage, so too should we do the same from our direct family members. This wisdom Jesus uses to direct us on the path of understanding our place in our own lives. But the path God has set out for us is not so easy to find if we do not know where to look. No, its not inside ourselves. Don't fall for that ruse, because we both know what we THINK we want and what God knows we need are two distinctly different things. One often leads to selfish ambition and is indefinite, while the other leads to freedom and is definite. Remember, thinking isn't knowing (More wisdom by the way, and I learned that from King of Queens!)

Ok, lets talk repetition.

When Jesus repeats himself, its not to make sure they heard him the first time. It was about the importance of the message. The more dire the need for those who heard it to receive it, the more he would repeat himself. And also I should note, when he repeats himself, its at a separate occasion, so the same message can be applied to either case. Jesus does the same thing for us now, but the question is, are we mindful enough to notice, and learn from it?

There are two ways God shows us the way through repetition:
1.Words/Phrases, as mentioned earlier
2.Actions/Consequences:
Basically, if you are trying to get something out of a situation, but you're going about it in the wrong mindset, even if you change the situation, you will get the same, bad result. This is a warning sign from God saying if you don't go about this different and more naturally, you may not end up getting what you need or even want.

But not all repetition is good. The Devil knows God likes consistency and repetition, when necessary. So he does the same thing, but in a different way.

If you have ever been picked on, abused, or hurt in anyway, you have experienced a routine of toxicity, after going through it day after day, it becomes human nature to become a slave to depression, negative self esteem, and anxiety. Its easier to be "mindful" of the negativity in our lives, and when that happens, we typically blame God.

But knowing Jesus and what he's done teaches us darkness, sadness, hopelessness cannot hurt us because in his arms, no matter what he will protect us and keep us safe. That doesn't mean life will be easy. It most certainly will still be a roller coaster. But we can brave it all with him by his side. Also, consider that if people never suffered abuse, struggles, anxiety, etc., how would we learn to express ourselves, get out of our shells, stand up for what we believe in, and above all, have confidence in everything we do.

Ok so even those who have struggled with these things may or may not have learn those crucial skills. But it sure gives us reason to. If we don't want to be pick on, we learn to stand up for ourselves. This shows confidence which helps us land that job we are looking to get. It all goes full circle. Ok I'm about done, but I'll leave you with this. From my understanding, the bible repeats itself 365 times, and its basically the same message, every time. What is it?

"Do not worry"

This phrase repeats itself 365 times, one, for everyday of the year. I said God repeated himself more depending on how important the message was. If there was ever something God wanted to imprint on the earth and in our souls it was that. This was a promise that he was here for us now, tomorrow, and everyday until he comes.

Having Faith in the Unknown

I don't know about you guys, but I have some unresolved trust issues. This doesn't stop with just people. In fact, the One I have the hardest time trusting in is the Creator himself. The fact that the outcomes of my life are completely shrouded in mystery leaves little room for faith. After all, how can you have faith that things will work out if you cant see them working out before your eyes? Well, what if presumeably things are working out, but because it is such a slow progression to get to that point, it looks as if nothing is happening? Its like watching a snail, nonstop, for 5 minutes, try to get to a nearby rock. If we continue to stay fixated on that snail, it will seem like he is not getting anywhere. But if we instead come back and see where the snail is an hour from where we first saw it, we will see he will have reached that rock.

We all have rocks we want to reach.

Jesus wants us to live by faith. And he knows our hearts desires because he created us. In the Bible he says "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matthew 7:7). This means if you pray earnestly and ask for something, be in guidance, financial security, a partner, etc, he promises to bring you such things.

But he's not a genie guys

A genie does things at the snap of a finger, in the moment. God tests our faith in his promise by making us wait until the moment is just right. Not for us. Not even for him. For EVERYBODY. Remember, we want to think of the bigger picture. That means outside ourselves. But sometimes, God answers some of our needs by exhausting us of some wants. Also, keep in mind when I say "needs" I mean things beneficial to both us and Gods plan.

Faith in Tribulation

Life is a wild ride of high and low points, with little time for calm in between. Its at these times that our faith gets tested. But why put us through this? The simple answer is to help us recognize that we should stop living such trivial lives, ruled by our sinful nature, and live for him. When we notice our lives are falling apart, and the people, places, and things, are leading us further and further astray from God's purpose for our lives, we do one of two things. If we have faith, we come back to our loving Father, and he welcomes his sheep home as he slowly helps bring our lives new meaning. The other, more tragic ending to tribulation leads to self destruction.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one in particular. I pray anyone in the midst of tribulation have faith that, as all storms must subside, so will yours. If you have been unfaithful to your Heavenly Father, just pray and ask that he help you pick up the debris and bring form and function back to your life. That's all for now.

Technical Issues!

This post is going to be short and sweet. I understand people have been trying to follow me. I'm sorry, I'm trying my best to resolve the issue. Stick with me I will figure this out eventually.

Cut to the Heart

I know what you're thinking. This has to do about love, doesn't it? Well, no, not entirely. Last sunday my pastor says spiritual growth and true healing comes when we are cut to the heart. That means we come to realize we are not in control, not when it comes to the big picture. This leaves an unsettling feeling equivalent to 'helplessness'. In order to fill the cracks we already blame our creator for, we turn to any number of bad behaviors. So, the cut that we felt initially is now a gaping hole as we literally pierce our God in the back. But heres the thing. In that moment, he smiles. Jesus says, its ok, I take your yoke upon my back in the form of the cross and forgive you. And when that moment comes where all becomes clear, like the end of a foggy day, we realize everything we had gone through, and the hardships we faced, were to prepare us for the next chapter. And the things that once filled our souls with dread and anxiety become resolved, sometimes not to our liking, but in a way that will make sense in the bigger picture. I'm talking an entire generation. God is so awesome he has already carefully designated who would say what to whom at the right times in a way that brings glory to his kingdom within a generational timespan----and that's all with the influence of the sin!

While we're on the topic of sin, can we be real again?

I've come to the conclusion that, though everyone struggles with a sinful shell within this mortal coil, we all have 2 or 3 deadly sins from which most of our negative behavioral patterns stem from. Like a sinful petri dish where all this behavior bacteria just accumulates over time. So my prime deadly sins, for example, are Envy and Pride. The Envy in me makes me territorial and jealous easy, so the Lord is helping me overcome that by learning to trust the ones I love. When it comes to being jealous of friends or family, its really just because I feel if they are already this far in their lives, where does that leave me? This is where Pride takes over and says, 'if you don't get as far as them, they'll end up forgetting about you'. Obviously a lie, but in the moment, its believable. So I push myself as hard as I can to become someone, anyone at this point. That's where pride works its way in your brain and now, that becomes your purpose, to rise above. Nothing wrong with that at first, until you realize its become your idol. Soon, church and the Word takes a backseat before its thrown out all together. You make it to that place you want to be, but now that pride has a firm hold on you, other deadly sins will follow. Maybe greed? You like the idea of surpassing people and make it a new thing? Or you use the money you now have (and once didn't care much about outside survival and occasional trips) and indulge in the finer (or maybe not so finer) things. And once all 7 deadly sins worm their way into your heart, you better wake up and reach out because you're *ahem* playing with fire. Heh. So yeah. Tricky stuff.

Ok that about wraps it up for tonight. Sorry if this one is a bit long. If you liked it, let me know int he comment section :)