Thankful for Gods work in my life.

Its been almost 2 months ago now that I was diagnosed with cancer. It was very hard news to hear as anyone can imagine, but as I look back I can see God walking with me every step of the way. From way back in May when my doctor started questioning the reason for me being anemic to this very day after my surgery and into my recovery, I have felt overwhelmed with God's goodness to me. God promises to never leave us nor forsake us, and I know that he has not forgotten me. I am so very thankful for God's ability to enable doctors to use technology (robotic surgery) to cure my disease. I am so thankful for God's protection in my life and how he allowed the doctors to find my cancer at a very early stage. I have felt his presence and peace in my life, and I know that he was looking out for me. My heart aches though for a dear lady in our church who was diagnosed with leukemia months ago and who has had to endure very difficult treatments. She is a huge inspiration to me, she has had to endure more than anyone I know, and yet she still remains strong in her faith. I know that God is faithful he has shown that to me these past few months. He is teaching me to appreciate life more and to live for Him more than I ever have before. I am so thankful for people who prayed for me, who lifted me up with words of encouragement, it was evidence of the body of Christ working to carry one another's burdens. God does answer prayer, I can testify to that.

What God wants from me.

God has been so good to me, he is loving and merciful, gracious and patient. He teaches me every day how to live for Him. Over the past several month's God has been showing me the area's in my life where I need to surrender to Him, and allow Him to work in my life. One of the things that I struggle with is wrong thinking. Doubting God's goodness to me, feeling like God doesn't really care about me, or just thinking wrong thoughts about others. 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I remember a recent sermon about how Christians need to think biblically. We need to align our thoughts with what scripture says. Not doubting what God can do, or who he really is. I often "forget" to think biblically. I get caught up in the woe is me pity party, and say if God cared, he would_________. Or if God really loved me he would__________. Then I begin to feel discontented and discouraged, and I allow my thoughts to rule in my heart and in my life. What I am really doing is opening the door for Satan to sneak in and speak lies to me, that sound like truths, when I am not aligning my thoughts with what God's word says. I am also learning that I need to throw off everything that hinders me from walking a Godly life. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. I need to throw off those things that keep me from walking a joyful Christian life. Wrong thinking, Laziness, discouragement, discontentment, anger, bitterness, idols. There are so many things that load us down in our walk with the Lord, that we begin to lag behind. We need to daily throw off those things. We have to chose to not let those things entangle us, or make us trip and fall. I need to think about the things that are pure, and noble and right. Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Not only do I need to think about these things I need to put them into action. Another thing that God is teaching me is that I am free from the bondage of sin. Romans 6:5-7 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. I do not have to allow sin to rule my life, I am free in Him. Romans 6:11-12 says, In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. It seems to me that changing my wrong thinking, and throw off that which hinders me, and then counting myself dead to sin all go hand in hand when living a life for Christ. It's a daily process one that will continue, and one that we must stand up against. Satan wants us for his own, and he will go to great lengths to take us down with him. I am thankful that God is working in my life and that he promises to complete that which he began. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. God knows what he is doing, and he is teaching me to walk in his ways.

The discontented Christian

This week I have been thinking a lot about discontentment. I think God wants to teach me something. Why is it that Christians who have all they could ever need in Christ become discontent in their life? What is that we are longing for that keeps us so unhappy, is it worldly goods, or a better life, friendship. Do we not realize what it is we truly have in Christ. I know that there have been times in my life where I feel discontented as if something is missing in my life. I have all that I could ever need and more physically speaking. I have my health, a home to live in, and a family that loves me (at least some of the time), and I have enough food and clothing. So what is it that we are seeking to find fulfillment in life. What causes people to feel so discouraged about what they don't have. I think we set up for ourselves expectations of what our lives "should" look like and then we begin to be discontent, looking at what we could have had. If our focus is on the greatness of what we have in Jesus and if we are looking to him to fulfill our desires, then and only then can we truly be content. 1 Timothy talks about having great gain in godliness which brings true contentment. 1Ti 6:6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 1Ti 6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 1Ti 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1Ti 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. When we begin to desire more then we have or need, we fall into temptation. We begin to covet the things we don't have, desiring more and more. But Timothy tells us that we fall into a snare into harmful desires. Discontentment can lead us into so much more than feeling unfulfilled in life. Hebrews tells us this: Heb 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Our contentment comes in the form of a loving God who promises he will never leave us or forsake us. We have so much more in Christ (His salvation) than we will ever have here on this earth. I am ashamed to think that I too have fallen into discontentment at times. 2 Corinthians also talks about contentment during trials and difficulties. 2Co 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. It seems funny to hear someone say you should be content in weakness, but according to this verse when we are weak we will be made strong. I guess God is trying to teach me to be content in everything. I know that he is working in my life and in my heart to change me. Blessings to all.