Preparation

Preparation


Preparation: is defined as the action or process of making ready or being made ready for use or consideration

Our lives are filled with opportunities for preparation. It's how we embrace these opportunities that will help to formulate how we think and act in our everyday lives. So what do I mean?


God always has a plan! Just like with our move to mom's house last August. To the outsider someone might look and see what we did as crazy and without purpose. We listed it and moved out of our 4 bedroom fully remodeled house, in 4 days. It was on the market the next week and sold the first day it was shown.

God had a plan for us, to pick up Prop 13 keeping our taxes low for the future. Others not knowing this didn't understand why we acted so quickly but we knew and that's what mattered.

The move was slightly chaotic but we had a peace because God was in control and we knew it.

When Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords came to the earth and was born in a cave/manger in Bethlehem to the outsider it could seem like it was unplanned. But God was in control and They knew what They were doing.

When it was decided from the very beginning that God would be born in the flesh to die to save the world, God knew exactly how it needed to happen. God even gave clues throughout time of what was to come and yet people didn't understand. God knew where the birth needed to occur, where Jesus needed to be baptized, beaten, die, buried and rise from the dead.

He had foretold The Birth of Jesus in the Book of Micah


2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. " Micah 5:2

Then about Christ's purpose in Isaiah

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Isa 40:1-3


1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. Isa 53:1-5

God had a plan and it was all prepared.

Just like He had a plan for Jesus the Christ, He has a plan for you and me. Stop looking at the outsiders for direction and confirmation if accepting Him is the right thing to do, they may not understand. Look to the One Who has The Plan and make a choice to join Him and millions of others who have accepted His Plan for their lives.

God has brought you to this time in your life, He has tugged at your heart and is calling your name. He has made all of the preparations, all you need to do is accept them and Him as Lord and go along for the ride of your life, right into Eternity!

Through the desert of your dry and empty heart God has prepared a Way by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savor, The Living Water, He will freely flow in you; giving you New life, power through His very Spirit living within you and Victory over the circumstances of this life and death onto Life Everlasting.

Prepare ye the Way of the Lord! Come Lord Jesus Come!!

More of us or more of Jesus?

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psa 19:14

What makes our hearts acceptable in God's sight? More of us or more of Jesus?

If we want our hearts and minds to be more like Jesus then we need to spend time with Him. We need to sit down, press in, bow our hearts, open our arms, put our thoughts on Him. We must repent when He reveals an area of our flesh that needs to change. Ask The Spirit for His help. He is our strength and our redeemer. He longs to help change us to be more like Jesus. 

If you actively do this you will see Jesus revealed more and more in your daily life.

I have had a lot of things that needed to be transformed in me and thank God He is still at work daily revealing my areas that need to change. One area that He has helped me with that I have seen victory in is cursing.

I used to cuss with the best or worst of them. That's just how we spoke in my circle of friends. When I became a Christian I found that my new circle of friends didn't talk that way. It takes real effort not to blurt out a cuss word. Sometimes it seems that that is the only way to get someones attention or express yourself. When you work in the world you can be surrounded by people who curse. So how can you be in the world but not be a part of the world?

First I needed to see what God's Word said about cursing:

29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Eph 4:29

Ok, so that is pretty clear, need to have good words come out. I then thanked God for showing me this area that needed to change, repented of it, received His forgiveness and asked for His help to change. Change is not easy, especially with a long time habit.

Here is something that I do daily that helps me fight that battle. Every morning, when I put on the Armor of God (ref Eph 6) I start with the Helmet of Salvation and I speak out the following:

Lord,

Take all of my thoughts captive unto the obedience of Christ, casting down all imaginations and anything that raises it's head up against the knowledge of You (paraphrased 2 Cor 10:5-6)

Help me to see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, think with Your thoughts, feel with Your feelings, speak with Your words, dream Your dreams and see Your visions.

This is an open invitation to The Lord asking Him to take control and help me throughout the day to be more in line with His thoughts and words.

Speaking Scripture is a very effective weapon that God has given us in tearing down strongholds in our lives. But you can't just say the words, you must believe that what you say is true and believe in the One Who gives you the power to overcome.

Is there an area in your life that needs to change? Go to His Word and find out what He says about that struggle you are experiencing. Maybe it's not cursing, maybe its an addiction or sexual sin. Maybe it's jealousy, greed or pride. God has given us tools to help tear down those things that are preventing the full power of His Spirit from flowing in and through us.

Write out the verses He gives you and begin to mediate on them. Begin to repeat them over and over again. Ask the Spirit to help you to be mindful of that area of weakness. Ask Him to make you keenly aware when that temptation comes and give you the strength to choose not to succumb.

Are you willing to give over that area that hinders you from receiving God's fullness in your life?

Today is the day to make a change. Choose to put God first and watch His Transformation take place. 


6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Phil 1:6