Flowing Faith | Page 2

May 7, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
4 Comments

Watch Over Your Heart!

Welcome to Flowing Faith! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to receive free blog updates in a reader or delivered to your email inbox. Thank you! God bless you!

Our enemy is pretty good in selling lies to us. Unfortunately, we buy them. We are especially weak when the lie informs us that ‘we rule’. We want to believe it. We buy the lie because it makes us feel good, confident and powerful.

I was reading this morning the last words of David in 1 Kings 2. David is instructing his successor Solomon. He is first giving very sage advice. Just like you’re expecting him to do. But then he starts advising his son how to settle some old scores on his behalf. That he had promised not to kill them but his son should finish what he could not do. It feels like someone would have whispered ‘you rule’ to David in the middle of his speech and made him shift gears. Suddenly David talks about his own personal agenda, not about God’s. I was shocked. David, who had a very special relationship with God, wanted to rule on his own. David, whose love for God was strong and powerful, still kept a corner of his heart for himself. What about me? What about you?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. (Deut. 6:5, CEB, emphasis added)

We are told to love God with every corner of our heart.
We are to wholeheartedly obey God.
We are to surrender everything to God.

Do we? 100%? Or do we keep some part of ourselves from God? Do we still keep our own agenda on the side? Does our self-interests rule over obedience? Do we serve God halfheartedly?

Do I listen to the lies of the enemy insisting that ‘I rule’? Because none of us do rule. Only God does. We might think so. But it isn’t so. And we can’t serve two masters. We can’t choose when we follow Christ and when we don’t. We can’t nurse hidden agendas. We need to be consistent in our beliefs and actions.

There’s no such a thing as halfhearted obedience. It dishonors God.
There’s no such thing as halfhearted love for God. It keeps even us miserable.
But it doesn’t have to be so! God has better plans for us!

Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
   that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
   avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
   ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
   and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
   leave evil in the dust.
(Proverbs 4:23-27, MSG)

Dear God,
Examine our hearts!
Expose our hidden agendas!
Establish your rule in every corner of our hearts!
Enable us to keep vigilant watch over our hearts!
Fill our hearts completely with your Spirit!
Empower us to serve you wholeheartedly!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Do you keep some part of your heart from God? Do you have hidden agendas?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you serve God with everything you’ve got!

Giving thanks today for
#341 the word of God that reads us
#342 self-examination
#343 God calling us to repent
#344 wholehearted faith
#345 consistence in faith
#346 walking the talk
#347 saints gone before us
#348 the living God searching us
#349 God wants every part of us
#350 blessed obedience
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Do you want to win a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB giveaways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image courtesy of Marian Trinidad. Linking up today with Sharing His Beauty & Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday &

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May 5, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
10 Comments

Weekend Prayer Wall {May 5-6}

Prayer should not be regarded “as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.” E.M. Bounds

Our prayer must not be self-centered. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.~John Calvin

The battle of prayer is against two things in the earthlies: wandering thoughts, and lack of intimacy with God’s character as revealed in His word. Neither can be cured at once, but they can be cured by discipline.~Oswald Chambers

I cry out to you, Lord: Come to me—quickly!
Listen to my voice when I cry out to you!
Let my prayer stand before you like incense;
let my uplifted hands be like the evening offering.
(Psalm 141:1-2, CEB)

Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! ⁵Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. ⁶Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. ⁷Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7, CEB)
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May thy mercy be extended over all mankind,
bringing the ignorant to the knowledge of thy truth,
awakening the impenitent,
touching the hardened.
Look with compassion upon the afflicted of every condition,
assuage the pangs of disease,
comfort the broken in spirit.
(Jane Austen, 1775-1817)

Give us grace, almighty Father,
to address you with all our hearts as well as with our lips.
You are everywhere present:
from you no secrets can be hidden.
Teach us to fix our thoughts on you,
reverently and with love,
so that our prayers are not in vain,
but are acceptable to you,
now and always,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Jane Austen, 1775-1817)
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s pray in Jesus’ name! Now it’s time for you to jump in with your prayers/prayer requests in the comment section (or link up your prayer post!). Let’s also pray for each other! Someone will pray for you/with you. (Because this is a global prayer wall, sometimes – due to the time differences – prayers are not instant. But know that God hears you 24/7! BLESSINGS!

Grab the code:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you want to win a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB give aways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image courtesy of Jason Rupert.

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May 4, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
6 Comments

Discerning Divine Direction

Don’t you ever wish you’d receive every morning a fax from heaven telling you what you need to accomplish that particular day? That thought is a bit tempting when life is chaotic. But if we think of it a bit further we realize that would be terribly boring. Even if we feel that life is out of control, we can rest assured on these facts:

A) God has promised to guide us.

I will instruct you and teach you
about the direction you should go.
I’ll advise you and keep my eye on you.
(Psalm 32:8, CEB)

B) Sometimes we need to wait but it’s for our good.

Nonetheless, the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you,
and will rise up to show you compassion.
The Lord is a God of justice;
happy are all who wait for him.
(Isaiah 30:18, CEB)

C) God does give us direction, we need to discern it in our hearts.

If you stray to the right or the left, you will hear a word that comes from behind you: “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21, CEB)

How do we then discern divine direction? How do we know a decision is right? Here’s a short but surefire way to discern God’s guidance á la Ignatius of Loyola (in the Spiritual Exercises):

“It is characteristic of the good spirit . . . to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations, and peace.”

“it is characteristic of the evil spirit to harass with anxiety, to afflict with sadness, to raise obstacles backed by fallacious reasonings that disturb the soul.”

This means that if you prayerfully consider your choices, God will direct your decision making process. Remember that God will never guide you to go against the word of God. God’s plan for you will make you more fruitful. And if you stay open for God’s guidance, a certain decision will bring you peace. Follow that lead. Leave anxiety and restlessness behind and move towards peace.

Even then bring this decision to God in prayer for confirmation. God will let you know in your heart if this is his will for you. Time after time I have found that this really works. At the same time I always pray that the wrong doors will be closed and the right ones will be opened. It is amazing how some doors are really closed against all odds. And when the right doors are opened and you truly have peace, you can move on with gladness. Even if the whole world thinks you are crazy!

Gracious God,
Thank you for your steadfast love & guidance.
Give us patience to wait for your best timing.
Open our hearts to discern your direction for us.
May only your will happen in our lives.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How do you discern divine direction?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you follow Christ wherever He leads you!
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Do you want to WIN a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB give aways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image courtesy of Emanuel Neiconi. Linking up today withFaith Filled Friday.

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May 3, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
8 Comments

Dancing in Grace

Would you like to dance in grace? Or is that too wild?
Would you rather sit out? Or is that too tame?

“To what will I compare this generation? It is like a child sitting in the marketplaces calling out to others, ‘We played the flute for you and you didn’t dance. We sang a funeral song and you didn’t mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ Yet the Human One came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved to be right by her works.” (Matthew 11:16-19, CEB)

We can either sea the kids representing John and Jesus: John invited people to mourn and repent and Jesus to rejoice in good news but everybody turned them down. Or we can see the kids as the contemporaries of John and Jesus who resented both John and Jesus. Neither fasting or feasting pleased them. They did not want to hear. Either way, the people missed out. They chose to sit out when they could have danced in grace.

What do we do? How do we respond to Jesus? Do we give him a cold shoulder? Do we think his message is uncool and leave it at that? Do we think some other Christians are too religious or not religious enough? Just as God appealed to the Jewish people of the first century in at least two ways, he appeals to us today in many ways, always according to our needs. But are we listening?

God is calling us to live, love, and dance in his grace. Do we act like Pharisees and sit out? Because the word ‘Pharisee’ literally means ‘the separated one’. A pharisee was meant to be ‘separated from sin’. And that itself was a good thing. But sometimes a good thing can separate us from the main thing. Like Dietrich Bonhoeffer has said “Being a Christan is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously & actively doing God’s will.” We are called to do God’s will, live in his presence, and dance in his grace.

Do we separate ourselves from God and others?
Or do we take our chances and dance in his presence?
Do we rejoice with people who rejoice and mourn with people who mourn?
Or do we separate ourselves from real life, real community, real faith?
Do we receive God’s grace as a power to change us, renew us, sustain us?
Or do we stubbornly want to go all the way alone?

Do we dare to dance in grace when other people say we should sit out?
Do we dare to trust God to take care of us throughout our lifetime?
Do we respond to God with a resound yes or do we sit out?

When you do have a chance to sit out or dance in grace…
I hope you dance.

Gracious God,
Enable us to hear you.
Empower us to live in faith
and dance in your grace.
Equip us to draw others in your presence.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Would you like to dance in grace?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you live, move, and dance in grace!
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Do you want to win a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB give aways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image courtesy of photobucket/sharonart. Linking up today with Thought-Provoking Thursdays.

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May 2, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
8 Comments

A Full Life in Jesus

How do you define a full life? Is it about success, happiness, wealth? Or something different all together? A full life in Jesus gives us a few surprises. God’s blessings are not material ones or self-centered happiness in general. God wants to give us a full life even in parched places. But it doesn’t happen without change. When we come to Jesus, the old life needs to go.

Because God desires holiness. God desires justice. God desires love. Just as said in Micah 6:8 (CEB): “He has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.”

Too often we think this is optional. That God did not really mean it. That it’s enough if we take care of ourselves or our loved ones. But the Bible tells us -over and over again- to do justice, love the enemy, take care of the poor, the hungry, the naked. What’s our excuse? Lord, have mercy!

Isn’t this the fast I choose:
releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke,
setting free the mistreated,
and breaking every yoke?
Isn’t it sharing your bread with the hungry
and bringing the homeless poor into your house,
covering the naked when you see them,
and not hiding from your own family?
Then your light will break out like the dawn,
and you will be healed quickly.
Your own righteousness will walk before you,
and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.”
If you remove the yoke from among you,
    the finger-pointing, the wicked speech;   if you open your heart to the hungry,
    and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted,
    your light will shine in the darkness,
    and your gloom will be like the noon.
The Lord will guide you continually
    and provide for you, even in parched places.
    He will rescue your bones.
You will be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water that won’t run dry.
They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account;
    the foundations of generations past you will restore.
You will be called Mender of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Livable Streets.
(Isaiah 58: 6-12, CEB, emphasis added)

This new life with God means that we let Jesus work through us.
This full life in Jesus means that we let the Holy Spirit change us.
This new life in the Spirit means that we live for God.

The benefits of living our lives according to God’s will are out of this world. God does not give like the world gives. God gives life upon life. Grace upon grace. Peace upon peace. Love upon love. Hope upon hope.

When we are living according to God’s will,
we can be sure He answers to us.
When we live the gospel,
the blessings of God will flow into our lives.
When we practice the new life in Jesus,
we will have a full life even in the emptiest of places.

Gracious God,
Forgive our selfishness.
Forgive us for stopping your grace to us,
when you’ve meant us to share your grace with everyone.
Your grace does not run out!
Show us how to live according to your will.
Show us how to serve you by doing justice and loving our enemies.
Show us what a full life in Jesus means.
Pour out grace upon grace,
love upon love,
peace upon peace,
life upon life,
hope upon hope.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How does a new life in Jesus change you? How do you practice the gospel?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you

Giving thanks today for
#331 a full life even in parched places
#332 God loves us as we are but helps us to change into his likeness
#333 God’s holiness and his desire for us to be holy
#334 the benefits of Kingdom Living are out of this world
#335 God’s work in us for his glory
#336 a change to repent
#337 second chances
#338 merciful God
#339 God’s blessings are the best
#340 new life comes through death
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The winner of the Common English Bible softcover edition is Angie! Congratulations!
Do you want to win a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB giveaways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image courtesy of Jason Harper. Linking up today with Wordfilled Wednesday .

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May 1, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
20 Comments

As Much Grace As Needed

Do you need grace? Don’t worry! There’s plenty available for repenting sinners. Actually, as much as you need. As much as anybody needs. All because of Jesus! How do we know this? The Bible tells us so. Let’s look at the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20 (CEB). Jesus explains:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. After he agreed with the workers to pay them a denarion, he sent them into his vineyard. “Then he went out around nine in the morning and saw others standing around the marketplace doing nothing. He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I’ll pay you whatever is right.’ And they went.
“Again around noon and then at three in the afternoon, he did the same thing. Around five in the afternoon he went and found others standing around, and he said to them, ‘Why are you just standing around here doing nothing all day long?’“‘Because nobody has hired us,’ they replied. “He responded, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and moving on finally to the first.’ When those who were hired at five in the afternoon came, each one received a denarion. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarion. When they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, These who were hired last worked one hour, and they received the same pay as we did even though we had to work the whole day in the hot sun.’
“But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I did you no wrong. Didn’t I agree to pay you a denarion? Take what belongs to you and go. I want to give to this one who was hired last the same as I give to you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you resentful because I’m generous?’ So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”

When I was younger I thought it was unfair that they all got the same pay. But isn’t it great that in the kingdom of God we all get as much grace we need? Isn’t it great that in the realm of God we get grace according to our needs? Isn’t it great that in God’s care we are treated individually not as a mass of people?

We truly can rest in God’s grace and know that we will always have as much as grace we need. And not just general grace but according to our very personal needs. “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us”, stated Augustine. I find that very much true. You are an apple of God’s eye. You are cherished and loved. And there will always be as much grace as you need.

Rest in God’s grace.
Bask in God’s grace.
Dance in God’s grace!

Gracious God,
We thank you and we praise you
for having for us as much grace as we need.
Your love for us is beyond everything.
Let your grace mold us into your likeness.
Pour our grace upon grace!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How much grace is enough?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you live in the freedom of Christ!
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Do you want to win a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB giveaways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image courtesy of Rich Wooten. Linking up today with What’s on Your Heart Tuesdays & Soli Deo Gloria & One Word at a Time: Much Blog Carnival.

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April 30, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
4 Comments

Getting to Know God

Getting to know God takes a lifetime. But the journey is wonderful. How to go about it? By knocking, asking, and seeking. They are ways to get to know God. How do we then knock, ask, and seek? Let’s find out.

The important thing to know is that we all do fail in our pursuit of God once in awhile. But the secret is persistence. When we consistently keep on knocking (entering into the presence of God), seeking (cultivating a relationship with God), and asking for help in our daily lives, we are getting to know God in the process.

“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened.“(Matthew 7: 7-8, CEB)

One of the most exciting things in life is learning to do ordinary things for God. When we become Christians, we don’t suddenly stop making dinners for our families. But now we can serve God while we prepare the meals. It does take some practice to get that mind set that we are doing everything for God. But when we really get into serving God while we go about our everyday routines, we start seeing God’s presence in our lives in a very special way. This is seeking God’s will for our lives. This is getting to know God in the midst of our everyday lives. This is to cultivate a relationship with God.

When we pray as we work, we keep on getting to know God. When we ask for God’s help, we are less likely to worry about the matters in hand. When we ask for direction as we read the Bible, God will reveal his wisdom for us. When we ask God to show how we need to live out the Bible text we are reading, God will respond. This is asking for God’s help for our lives. This is getting to know God as we pray, study his Word, live our lives. This is to interact with God.

How about knocking then. I think knocking is the entering into God’s presence. It’s the crucial moment when we decide whether we seek God or somebody else. God will open the door, when we knock. This is also a way of getting to know God. Because of Jesus we are welcome into God’s presence anytime we knock. As C.S. Lewis has said “God is not proud…He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to Him.” So let’s keep on knocking on the right door. God wants to be found. God wants to be known. Thanks be to God!

Gracious God,
Thank you for always being there.
Thank you for drawing us to you again and again.
Give us persistence to keep on knocking, asking, seeking You.
Enable us to get to really know you.
We love you and we adore you.
Be praised forever and ever.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How do you practice knocking, seeking, asking?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you keep on getting to know God!

Giving thanks today for
#321 God wants to be found
#322 God wants to be known
#323 God rejoices when we seek, ask, knock.
#324 How good it feels to be in God’s presence.
#325 How wonderful it is to share our ordinary lives with God
#326 God always being there for us.
#327 God creating openness in us to know Him in his terms.
#328 Spring and new beginnings
#329 God’s mercy as we fail
#330 God’s joy when we return
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Do you want to win a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB giveaways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image courtesy of Charice Orozco. Linking up today with Sharing His Beauty & Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday &

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April 28, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
2 Comments

Weekend Prayer Wall {Apr. 28-29}

Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what he can do. ~Andrew Murray

The faith exercised in prayer is faith in the God who sovereignly accomplishes His will. When we pray, our faith recognizes, explicitly or implicitly, the overruling providential purposes of God. We may at times be given insight into that will, enabling us to pray with absolute confidence in God’s plan to answer as we ask. But surely those cases are rare – more rare even than our subjective, emotional desires would lead us to suspect.~Douglas Moo

Then King David went and sat in the Lord’s presence. (2 Sam. 7:18, CEB)

Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. (Psalm 46:10, AMP)

Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard?
    The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the creator of the ends of the earth.
    He doesn’t grow tired or weary.
His understanding is beyond human reach,
giving power to the tired
    and reviving the exhausted.
Youths will become tired and weary,
    young men will certainly stumble;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength;
    they will fly up on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not be tired;
    they will walk and not be weary.
(Isaiah 40:28-31, CEB)
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Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
intellect to understand you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate on you
and a life to proclaim you,
through the power of the Spirit
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Benedict, 480-543)

Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of you.
You only know what I need.
You know me better than I know myself.
O Father, give to your child what he himself knows not how to ask.
Teach me to pray.
Pray yourself in me.
(F.Fénelon, 1651-1715)
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s pray in Jesus’ name! Now it’s time for you to jump in with your prayers/prayer requests in the comment section (or link up your prayer post!). Let’s also pray for each other! Someone will pray for you/with you. (Because this is a global prayer wall, sometimes – due to the time differences – prayers are not instant. But know that God hears you 24/7! BLESSINGS!

Grab the code:

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April 27, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
2 Comments

Fresh Hope for Hopeless

Are you feeling down? Is your soul singing unexpected blues? Are you weary, burned-out, at the end of your rope? Don’t worry. There are loads of fresh hope reserved just for you. You might not believe it right now. But bare with me.

Do you remember how Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, calls people happy or blessed who are hopeless? Why on earth would he do that? Read it yourself:

“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. (Matt. 5:3,CEB)

When we are out of options, there’s more room for God.
When we are at the end of our rope, we are ready to receive life on God’s terms.
When we are hopeless, we are open for God.

Could it really be….that happy are people who are hopeless?
Could it really be…that the promises of God are mine? All the time?
Could it really be…that my troubles are opportunities for God to step in?

Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed?
Why are you so upset inside?
Hope in God!
(Psalm 43:5, CEB)

It’s really is time to get rid of blah-blahs.
It’s time to remember whose we are and where we are going.
It’s time to jump-start our spiritual beat.
It’s time to wear hope.

Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. (Romans 12:12, CEB)

It is time to remember we are not supposed to be self-sufficient.
We are to walk with God and have our life from the hand of God.
It’s time to remember to place our hope in God.
Because if we place our hope in anybody or anything else than Jesus Christ, we will be let down.

Whenever you feel down.
Whenever you are weary.
Whenever you are at the end of your rope.
TELL IT TO JESUS!
And you won’t be let down.
You will be restored.
You will be blessed.

We need to let God’s hope to permeate our whole thinking and being. So that whenever we have a need, we will automatically turn to Jesus. The more we practice this, the more we are grounded in hope. Then nothing, absolutely nothing, can steal our hope or joy. Because when we come to God with our troubles, he rekindles our burnt-out lives with fresh hope and resets our spiritual beat with his abundant grace. It’s all about grace. GRACE, people! G*R*A*C*E!

Gracious God,
We bring our weary souls to you.
We are at the end of our ropes.
We are ready to receive life on your terms.
Restore us with fresh hope.
Reset our spiritual beat.
Become our everything!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Do you believe that your troubles are opportunities for God to step in? Do you hope despite of your troubles?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, CEB)
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Do you want to WIN a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB give aways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
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Image courtesy of Charice Orozco. Linking up today with Faith Filled Friday.

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April 26, 2012
by Mari-Anna Stålnacke @flowingfaith
0 comments

Reset Your Spiritual Compass

Our lives gets so crazy-buzy that if we are not 100% certain where our True North is we get lost in the jungles of life. We don’t mean to get lost but it just happens if we don’t reset our spiritual compass daily. This is not a matter to take lightly. Our well-being, and even our future, depends on what we choose. Today.

“So now, revere the Lord. Serve him honestly and faithfully. Put aside the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and serve the Lord. But if it seems wrong in your opinion to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But my family and I will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15, CEB, emphasis added)

When we have reset our spiritual compass to True North (a.k.a. God), we can be sure we are on the right path. And we have purpose: to love and serve God with everything we got. That directs our choices along the way. And we will be blessed. Remember what Jesus told his disciples: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of”. (John 10:10, MSG) It happens when our spiritual compass is reset to True North. Come, Lord Jesus!

Gracious God,
Help us to rest our spiritual compass on you daily.
We choose to love and serve you, Lord.
Give us more and better life we can ever dream of.
Fill our hearts and minds with your Spirit.
Let our lives glorify you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: What do you choose today? Where is your True North? How do you reset your spiritual compass?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you love and serve God with everything you got!
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Do you want to win a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment and mention that you’d like to win. The winners will be announced on Wednesdays! All these CEB give aways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour from Ash Wednesday all the way to Pentecost. This means that I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image courtesy of Godserv Taylor. Linking up today with Thought-Provoking Thursdays.

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