What About Diligence?

What about diligence for the believer? How can so many Christians be contented with such little knowledge of the scriptures? Why are we not more diligent when it comes to studying what the Word says about the various issues in our lives?

What about diligence with regard to prayer? Too many think that prayer is simply to be used only in emergencies and extreme moments of anguish or pain. However, in the economy of God diligence in prayer is required. One must fight to ensure that their intimacy with the Lord is maintained. Effective and productive living comes only from quality time spent with God. There are too many people in ministry that rely on marketing and other natural resources to build the work of God. What about praying until the answer walks through the door?  What about staying before God until He changes us and transforms our weaknesses into strength?  How about just waiting on the Lord until he renews our strength and not walking from the prayer meeting until we can run and not be weary and walk and not faint?

If diligence means earnest expectation, when have we waited on the Lord in earnest expectation or simply with diligence?

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The Christian’s View on Recovery

The “Oxford Group” was one of the originators of the 12-step process.  They came to understand some very basic needs and elements for individuals to get better or healed from certain behaviors.  This discovery started around 1935 with Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith.  Later they collaborated with the Oxford Group and wrote facts that are essential in one’s recovering from self-destructive and self-sabotaging behavior.

 Their basic assumptions are as follows:

• Human beings are sinners.
• Human beings can be changed.
• Confession is a prerequisite to change.
• The changed soul has direct access to God.
• The age of miracles has returned.
• Those who are changed are to change others.

Friends in Recovery published further the following:

• Giving to God.
• Listening to God’s direction.
• Checking Guidance.
• Restitution.
• Sharing, both confession and witness.

Recovery is a scriptural path to freedom and holiness.  The principles are directly from the Word of God.

Recovery is not for the sole use of drug abusers or alcoholics.  All former sinners are in need of recovery as they seek to please the heavenly father.

Recovery is not psychology.  Sin is not limited to some psychologically defined neurosis it is from rejecting the will and wishes of God. 

Recovery destroys the world of denial.  The lies we tell ourselves enables us to live unproductively.

Individuals in recovery tend have better relationships.  We are better suited to have successful involvements when we working diligently on the issues that are harmful.

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3 Ways to Build Better Relationships

To be a leader in a home or over a business suggests that one must or should have basic relational skills.  Relationships can simply be defined the business of getting along with another person.  The business of getting along should be of great importance to all of us.  You do not have to be an executive or head of a house to be good at relationships.  God’s word requires us, to do so.  We should speak comforting words to people; these kinds of words exemplify this principle.  Much of what we do requires teamwork.  Great teams cannot achieve its goals without relationships.  Relationships filled with health have trust, respect, and transparency just to name a few.  Mostly they have relationships.

Here are some suggestions that will help you in your journey to better relationships:

1. Know the people around you.   This is an admonishing from the bible.  Do yourself a favor and seek to understand the individuals in your life.  Learn from them, about them.  Listen to their hearts and become aware of their sensitivities.  Awareness of the words and actions that turn them on and turn off is of super importance.  Do not lump people into categories that makes life easy for you.  Labeling others is insulting.  No one wants inappropriate categorizing.  To do so is an overt act of rudeness.  Finally, I once heard it said that rudeness is a weak-man’s imitation of strength.
2. Respect boundaries.  Boundaries are limits.  Each person has a limit to what he/she will or will not take.  There are body boundaries and emotional boundaries.  There are also conversational boundaries.  Learn what boundaries are and avoid violating them in order to ensure a productive relationship.
3. Ask God for an understanding heart.  Ask our heavenly father to give you an appreciation for the differences in others around you.  Celebrate the differences rather than being afraid of them.  Why would you be uncomfortable with the expressed values of those unlike us?  The bible says, “commending ourselves to every man’s conscience.”  Respecting others and their views is vital to building bridges that create relational connection.

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Brokenness

The fifty- first Psalm tells us much of the difficulty that rebellion and sin does to our inner man.  It reminds us in less than endearing ways that we have become liars and frauds by pushing an agenda not sired by the heart of God.  We must be careful of every path we take, every agenda we follow, and all advice that is given.  Lest we find ourselves distant from His will, continuing the journey until we have drifted away from the very will of God.

The 7th verse implores God to wash, purge and restore us to a state held before our rebellion. The writer is pleading to have the forfeited pleasures of intimacy and closeness with God restored.  Without a doubt, it was sin that robbed the Psalmist of a vital connection.  The statement requesting for purging was ceremonial; however, the disposition of the writer is one of genuine disturbance by the lack of a productive relationship with our God. How wonderful it is to discover the lack whenever it exists.  The Bible speaks of dead works. I wish that everyone would have their conscious cleaned and cleared of the guilt of dead works and the stain it leaves.  I look forward to my sin damaged conscious to be acquitted by the higher court of God’s holiness.  I leaned to my own understanding and went in the wrong direction.  Everything I did on that journey resulted in dead works.  We were convinced that we had a good plan and an astounding idea but it was not prayed for we simply figured it out.

The Psalmist’s penitent heart can’t be mistaken.  The writer of John’s epistle states

“If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. 

How shall we describe this new attitude with sensitivity of the spirit as it’s main concern. It is as the Bible states “brokenness.”  It is the result of a work done on and in the heart. It is humiliation and a broken heartedness not related to the despair of life. It is a heart pliable to the Word of God.  It is a state of being broken from yourself, your pride, and your sin. There is no notion of arrogance for the heart is subdued and brought into obedience through humility.   

As we read we discover that the sacrifices that God accepts is this very state of brokenness.  It can never be self imposed but only it can be maintained through steadfastness in prayer. The very notion of protracted corporate prayer is a turn off to our flesh.  The discipline of prayer is not optional in the life of believers.

Unfortunately ministry is attempted without that constant state of brokenness. To pray with the body of believes  until there is blending of heart and spirit is a must. Anything else would be simply be carnal activity.  There was a time in the life of man I know, that he became pleased and overwhelmed with very little. What was so note worthy is that in his past he had many possessions, and accomplishments. Yet this man became so contented with so little. He experienced the grace of brokenness and was no longer driven by things but only moved by the urging of the spirit. What about you.  Do you practice brokenness?

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