Praise Him
“Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse.” Psalms 150:1 There are an estimated 100-400 billion stars in our galaxy alone... there are an estimated 200 billion to 2 trillion galaxies in the universe!!! 400 billion x 2 trillion stars in the universe... my brain hurts just thinking about that expanse... yet Lord, You state that you breathed all of that into existence. You are bigger than the universe, yet You know us by name. You’ve counted each one of us as well as the stars. You’re outside of time itself, yet You decided to create us and love us. We praise You for that. But saying just the words “we praise You” doesn’t seem enough... You are beyond compare.... beyond 400 billion x 2 trillion ... Amen
Good morning Chris, this is Sacha.
ReplyDeleteThere's a humbling challenge with looking over the tree in front of us to see the whole forest of God's plan. God wants to build this kingdom through His follower and through His son. We see snippets of this heavenly Kingdom through the Bible. This bits can bring hope to our hearts of the great things to come.
Thanks for reading Sacha! I like the idea of the “forest of God’s plan” our finite beings only see what’s right in front of us... but we need to rely on His Holy Spirit to take that step into the unknown... so we can grow with Him. Thanks
DeleteThinking about the here and now is equally as important, but is unfortunately neglected by many Christians. Many believers forsake their gifts and talents because they think it's selfish and vain to chase after their dreams and instead just live very passively and look forward to the next life. They just want to ride the wave of being saved and daydreaming about heaven while they shirk responsibility of reaching their highest potential that God has called them to.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this... it’s so easy to go on auto pilot in our relationship with God... The God the Holy Spirit wants to take us on an adventure, but we have to be willing to listen and obey His call. How do you break free from wanting to stay comfortable in your own relationship with God?
DeleteI think God helps us out with that in a big way. If we are really his disciples I know he will put us in positions where our faith is challenged, and we have to find a way to grow to become stronger. I could go on about this topic for a long time because I'm so passionate about it! But to sum it up I have experienced God not always giving me what I want, but he has many times put me into tough situations in my life that forced me to develop into the person that I would have to become to be ready to receive what gifts he has for me.
DeleteI truly believe in the quote "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." To start kingdom building now, we men have to strive, train, develop ourselves on all sorts of dimensions, and thus godly character can finally attain hypertrophy.
Hearing God comes in various ways. Specifically for me, fasting has tremendously helped me on my journey. God has provided for me many insights into how to grow within the past few years; he has showed me what habits I need to strip away, anything that encumbers me as I continue running this race for the prize. Through fasting God has shown me his power and revelation through what is possible, and what steps I need to take to get to where I believe God has called me to go.
Yes, God is continually transforming us. I appreciate your testimony in regards to fasting. Do you fast in multiple different ways? You mentioned habits, so I'm wondering... is it food only or is it also other avenues... like online communities, phone-related stuff, TV, Netflix, etc. I have had different periods in my life where I fasted food-wise... but I'm not totally sure I've done it the best way, or with the right attitude/heart/motivation...
DeleteI always do food related fasts, usually from 3-7 days spread throughout the year. Fasting for me personally has been a life saver for me many times, because I've always had stomach problems. These issues always got in the way of living my best life: I feel tired a lot, socially withdrawn, and unmotivated. However, every time I fasted I had God reveal to me what's possible. My mind was sharper, body cleaner, physical fitness in great condition, and I felt much more confident socially. He opened doors for me that were I believe only possible through fasting and prayer. Doing these things on a regular basis helps me stay afloat, otherwise my stomach problems come back and I go back to square one.
DeleteI've read a few books on fasting, and one that really encouraged me is called "Not Eating" by Greg Bass. The author shares his incredible story of how he recovered from alcoholism, on the brink of divorce, and bankruptcy. Then he goes on this journey on going through multiple fasts for a few years, where God slowly chipped away at the many walls he had blocking him in his life. Now his marriage is as great as ever, his children are married with children, and he has a lucrative career.