We Serve a Jealous God

Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit to be welcome with a jealous love? - James 4:5

The original Greek word and meaning for yearns is, epipotheo (ep-ee-poth-eh'-o): intensely crave possession, earnestly desire.

We can be certain that we serve a jealous God. He calls Himself a jealous God in Exodus 34:14 - For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, Whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous impassioned God.

He longs for us to put Him first. His greatest desire is for us to love Him and pursue a friendship with Him. He wants to be our delight. When we put people, hobbies, entertainment, or anything before Him in our lives we are creating idols. Idols are not just golden statues. They can be anything and anyone.

Instead of writing a passionate speech on putting God first, I am giving you an assignment...

I want you to make, yes make some time to sit down and really examine how you are spending your time and where you find your most joy.

If you find that you have little time with Daddy God or that hobbies...work...friendships...or even your children bring you the most joy, then you need to make an adjustment in your life. Don't get me wrong, our children and loved ones should be a joy to us. However, nothing should be more important to us than our Daddy in Heaven.

We need to make sure that God is our top priority. When we do this we will be the wife, friend, Mother, woman, and child of God that He created us to be. And we will find a joy and fulfillment that is incomparable!

We really MUST make this a priority in our lives...especially in the days to come. This world is getting more and more wicked and our morality is going down hill...FAST. We NEED to personally KNOW the One Who is in control and be in a consistent daily relationship with Him, so that when the trouble comes, we can be assured and firmly set in all that we believe and know.

Be alert, dear sisters....put your Jealous and loving God FIRST!

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, help me today. Help me to examine my priorities and how I spend my time. Show me where I have self made idols in my life and help me to knock them down. I want nothing more that to live my life for You. Help me to put everything in its proper place and to set an example for my children and those who know me. I love You Daddy, and I want You to be my All and All! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

Being the World's Friend is being God's Enemy

You are like unfaithful wives having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God! Do you not know that being the world's friend is being God's enemy? So, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God. - James 4:4

Sometimes I feel like I say the same things over and over. I guess God is trying to get this information to penetrate the thick sculls that make up His Church. LOL!

The Church as a whole is a pitiful example of what Jesus died for us to be. Jesus died for so much more than our Salvation. He also died so that we may have peace, joy, and a sound mind. He left us with a mission. A mission to tell others about His great love through our words, life and deeds. He left us the Holy Spirit to comfort us and His Mighty Name to give us power.

He did not intend for us to let the devil make the rules. He did not intend for us to become friends of this world through indifference. In many ways, you cannot even tell the difference between the world and the Church...

The Body of Christ seems to be asleep, while our very cunning adversary swoops in for the kill. Does that sound like a dramatic statement? I think it is an understatement! Why? To answer this we must ask several questions.

If the Church was awake and active would there even be a hint of legalizing gay marriages in the air?

No. If the Church were awake and STANDING for Truth, there would have been a march on Washington like there has never been seen before. We would not let such a thing slip by.

Would there be pornography displayed at every turn?

No. Christian men would rise up and not tolerate such an attack on their minds. The Church as a whole would push for better laws to prevent our children from having to see these disgusting displays when walking into a convenience store to get a Slurpee.

Would prayer be illegal in schools that we pay taxes in?

No. Honestly, I don't know how we ever let such a thing happen. I mean WHERE was the Church???

Would the divorce rate in the Church be the same and even higher than the world's?

No. We would align ourselves together and help marriages. We would prepare our young people for marriage. We would teach our children that a happy marriage isn't about "feelings" and getting your own way. It is about giving, loving and forgiving for a lifetime. We would LIVE it out before them and forget about our ridiculous "needs."

If the church were awake would the world have such a powerful hold on our entertainment?

No. Unfortunately, the Church has become desensitized. We watch things that I don't believe we would ever watch if Jesus came for dinner and a movie. We watch movies with language that we would never use in front of our pastors. We watch movies with sexually explicit scenes and then wonder why there is a pornography problem in the Church. Yes, the Church! Think about it...honestly, that is how I judge what I should watch. If we could see Jesus in the flesh and have Him over for a movie...would we watch the same things?? Hmmmm. Funny though, He LIVES in us, so He IS there!

Need I go on?

I don't think so.

I hope and pray that somehow the Church will arise from its slumber, grab their weapons, and put the devil back in his slimy evil place. If we do not, what kind of world will our children be left with? What are we teaching them with our apathetic reaction to the chaos that is whirling all around us?

If we do nothing, it is like leaving them alone in a dark room filled with venomous vipers. Can you live with that? I can't.

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, I pray that You open my eyes. Help me to see and to recognize the enemy and his ways to sneak into my mind and life. Help me to not become desensitized, but to remain on fire for Truth and Holiness. Help me to train my children up to be all that You created them to be. Help me to show them this through my living example. Lord, please forgive me if I have become a friend of this world. Thank You. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

Wrong Motives

...You do not have, because you do not ask.

Or you do ask and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is to spend it in sensual pleasures. - James 4:2b-3

God is all about the heart of a person. He could care less how many of our self made faces we put on in life. He looks at the "why" not the "do." He looks deep in our hearts to find our hidden agendas and motives that we even hide from ourselves. He looks beyond the fronts we put up for others.

You have not because you ask not.

This tells me if I ask, I can receive. However...The next verse is the key to the deal.

When we ask with the wrong motives. When we ask for selfish reasons. When we ask out of discontentment. When we ask for things that have no good purpose for our lives. I think that God is like any good parent. He must do what is best for us. Even when WE do not like it or think it is unfair. He would love to give all of His children prosperity. Unfortunately, with prosperity comes the temptation to forget Him, and He knows this, so I believe that is one of His motives for keeping too much abundance from us at times.

We may want something, ask for it, and never receive it. Not because God does not love us, but because He does love us. And He knows us better than we do. He knows what is good for us.

When we are walking closely with God on a regular basis, we gain more and more of His character and we begin to want what He wants . Then when we ask for things, it is not out of selfish motives. It is from a true and faithful heart. Knowing that all things are His and we are not complete in "things." We are complete in Him. And if we lose everything, it is OK, because we know this and understand it! We know that our eternity is what really matters, not the fluff we can get here on earth for a season.

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, thank You for loving me and only wanting the best for me. Thank You for protecting me from my self. I love You Lord, and YOU are enough. You are ALL that I ever need. Thank You for all that You do and the MANY blessings that You have given me. I pray that You continue to show me Your Will for my life and help me to fulfill it. I love You, Lord. I want more than anything in this world to live a life that pleases You. Thank You for Your love, kindness, and mercy. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

True and Pure Wisdom Brings with it the Gift of Peace

And the harvest of righteousness (conformity to God's will inn thought and deed) is the fruit of the seed sown in peace by those who work for and make peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts. - James 3:18

Last time, we learned that true and pure wisdom comes from a life dedicated to God. We get this wisdom little by little as we grow. Part of this wisdom is learning to submit to God and His will for our lives.

When we lay down our desires and live our lives to please our God, we begin to want the things that He wants for our lives. We begin to turn from the sin that used to so easily entangle us. As we develop the wisdom that comes through a consistently submitted life we also gain a "harvest of righteousness," which is a peaceful mind set. We become people who seek peace rather than our own way.

This is a wonderful gift. It is a quality that can save countless marriages, friendships, and relationships. If more of us would seek peace and strive for peace, there would be a major decrease in divisions, offense, quarrels, and our divorce rate.

Unfortunately, the only way to get this precious gift of peace is to strive for the wisdom we talked about last time. And the only way we can obtain that wisdom is by letting go of "self" and grabbing onto God and His ways. That is the biggest obstacle in this pursuit. We MUST die to ourselves and our desires. We must put others first and make the pursuit of peace a priority. If we do not, we will never have the wondrous fullness of a life that God wants us to have.

Not many of us want to let go of "getting our way." Most of us do not want to give up the things that our flesh loves so much. Not many of us desire to be God pleasers. Most of us are very comfortable living somewhere in the middle. Somewhere not too radical and not too liberal, but just enough middle ground to keep us from real victory and blessings in our lives. Just enough middle ground to be world and self pleasers. Just enough middle ground to keep us "luke warm."
Are you willing to make a change in your life? Are you willing to pursue peace? Are you willing to step out of the middle ground and onto the Holy ground? Do you really want all that Jesus died for you to have? Do you?

Let's pray,

Daddy God, thank You for Your Wisdom. Thank You for Your true and pure Wisdom. Thank You for the gift of peace. Thank You for Your life changing Word of Truth. Please help me to not settle for the middle ground. Help me to never be luke warm...or even cold. Help me to live out loud and be ON FIRE...for YOU! Help me to pursue excellence and be a shining example of a life dedicated to the One Who bore my sins.In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

Copyright © Lara Velez

True and Pure Wisdom

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure; then it is peace-loving, courteous, considerate, and gentle. It is willing to yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned, free from doubts and insincerity. - James 3:17

I believe that there are two types of wisdom. There is the wisdom that we gain through education, trial and error, learning, and life experiences. Then is the True and Pure wisdom that we can only gain from the Word and a consistent walk with God. The later is the type of wisdom we will discuss today.

When we seek after the things of God and make Him and His ways a priority in our lives, we gain a type of wisdom that you will never find in a book, class, or from any type of "worldly" learning venue. It is a gift that the Lord gives His children little by little. He gives it to those who want it and seek it and desire it. The closer we get in our relationship with God the wiser we become. We will make wiser choices. We will speak with wisdom. We will gain better understanding.

It is not the same kind of wisdom that the world classifies as wisdom or that they have to offer. It is a change in your heart and mind. It is an insight and understanding into the very character of God. Just look at the words that James uses to describe it. He says that the wisdom from above is pure, courteous, considerate, and gentle. Who does that sound like? Sounds like our Daddy in Heaven, doesn't it?

The more we seek God and the more we yield to His Will, the more wisdom we will receive. It's almost like fruit. I guess you can call it the fruit of wisdom. A gift from God. True and unblemished by the world kind of wisdom.

How can we get it?

Well, as I mentioned earlier. We can only get this God-given wisdom through His Word AND a consistant walk with Him. A daily seeking of Him and His Will. A hunger for Him and His ways. We must MOVE towards it and reach for it. We must CHOOSE it by choosing to make HIM first in our hearts, minds, and life.

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, I love You. I want to know You more. I want a deeper more intimate relationship with You. Thank You for all the many wonderful gifts that You have in store for me as I grow in my walk with You. Thank You for the wisdom that You have to offer. Help me to be wiser in all that I do. Help me to learn more about You and YOUR ways. Thank You for being such a Wonderful Daddy. I am honored to be Your daughter. I could never walk through life without You. Thank You for loving me...all of me...imperfect me. I love You, Lord. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

Copyright © Lara Velez