Jesus said to a scholar: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17
Is his primary concern physical health? No, but, as he says, to call out to people caught in guilt.
What He did on the cross is centered on restoring relationship and delivering from guilt.
Don't feel like reading? Watch the video here!
Health for sick relationships
So when Jesus says that he came for the sick, his advice and commandments are also helpful for the sick to heal their hearts. And they also apply to those who consider themselves healthy. When he says, "You are my disciples if you keep my commandments," it applies to everyone.
Luke 6:46 But why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not what I say? 47 Anyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them - I will show you what he is like...)
A doctor works like this:
1. He prescribes a drug that is supposed to lead to healing
With Jesus, this is his wonderful Holy Spirit, which always achieves its goal when I “take” it
2. Then he gives advice on how to take and how to live to get healthy.
These are the teachings of Jesus. Jesus said very clearly: if you implement what I teach, then I am really your doctor and your teacher. Otherwise you're just pretending I'm your doctor.
3. Thirdly, he refers to any specialists who can provide support.
With Jesus this is his community, the other Christians who are with you on the way. Some have grown more and will help you, others you can help. But what they all need to have in common is this: they want to grow, they want to change and they want to give Jesus more space in their lives and actions.
Annoying Christians?
If it bothers you that Christians "want to change you," then you don't understand what the point is: They want to change themselves as well.
(However, there is the broken form of Christians. They are really only concerned with changing others and they completely close themselves off from God. You can recognize them by their fruits and sort them out of the category "Christian".-> see quote from Jesus above Lk.6:46)
So look at it this way: If you have behaviors that actually destroy others or yourself, it's worth changing. And that is really the task of every Christian: Jesus commandmentsto take seriously and focus on it.
And then comes the most important step, without which everything will just fail: His Holy Spiritto take seriously, who works the miracle in me that I can actually be changed.
Interested in a 3-part course where you can grow in truly trusting God more and more? Watch my three videos on this topic alone or with friends, a home group or similar.
Compare these Scriptures where Jesus' last words were written on the cross: Mt 27:46 - Mk 15:34 - John 19:30
You can also read the various accounts of Jesus' crucifixion in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Do you find the parallels to what David wrote here hundreds of years before Jesus' death and what actually happened to Jesus?
A Psalm of David.
2 My God, my God, why did you leave me? I scream, but no rescue is in sight, I call, but any help is far away! 3 My God! I call during the day, but you don't answer, I call at night and don't get any rest. 4 You are holy, you dwell where your people Israel sing praises to you. 5 Our fathers put their trust in you. They trusted you and you saved them. 6 They cried out to you for help and were delivered; they trusted in you and were not disappointed.
7 But I am no longer a man, only a worm, I have become a mockery of the people, all the people despise me. 8 Everyone who sees me mocks me, twisting their lips and shaking their heads. 9 "Give your case to the LORD," they say. 'Yes, may God save him! Let him help him - apparently he takes a liking to him!'
10 But you, Lord, drew me out of my mother's womb. You made me trust her breast 11 From the beginning of my life I have depended entirely on you, from the womb you are already my God. 12 Don't stay away from me now! The need is so threateningly close and there is nobody to help me!
13 thieves have surrounded me like a herd of bulls; they have surrounded me like mighty buffaloes from Bashan. 14 They open their mouths against me like hungry and roaring lions. 15 I feel like I've been poured out like water all my limbs are dislocated. My heart is like liquid wax that melts deep inside me.
16 I am without strength, dried up like a piece of pottery. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You laid me in the dust where the dead lie. 17 For men have surrounded me like dogs; a horde of violent criminals surround me. As a lion bites his prey, so they hold me tight and won't let go of my hands and feet. (or: pierced my hands and feet). 18 I could count my bones one by one; my enemies just stare at me mercilessly. 19 They divide my clothes among themselves and cast lots to see who shall have my outer garment.
20 But you, O LORD, do not stay far from me! You are my strength, quickly, come to my aid! 21 Snatch my soul from the deadly sword, save my life from the claws of these dogs! 22 Deliver me from the lion's mouth, save me from the horns of the buffalo! Yes, you heard me! 23 I will proclaim to my brothers how great you are; I will sing your praises in the midst of the congregation. 24 All ye that fear the LORD, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, give him glory! Treat him with humility and reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
25 For the LORD has not turned away from the need of the helpless, nor has he despised his sufferings. Yea, the LORD hath not hid his face from him, but listened to him when he called for help. 26 You, Lord, give me reason to praise you in the midst of the great congregation. I will fulfill my vow in the sight of those who serve the Lord with reverence. 27 The poor shall eat again and be filled. Those who seek the Lord should praise him. Live up your heart, live forever!
28 There will be understanding in every corner of the earth, and people will turn to the LORD. All nations will bow down to you, O LORD, and worship you. 29 For the kingdom belongs to the LORD; he rules over all nations. 30 The great of the earth will feast and worship the LORD. Also all who sink into the dust of death will fall down before him, all who have no more strength to live. 31 Generations to come will serve him. Those who are yet to be born will be told about the Lord. 32 One will proclaim future peoples his deeds of salvation.
Back to the course, where you can learn how to actually believe in God in a very practical way
They will say, 'The LORD has accomplished everything!« New Geneva translation
trust god? My last blog was about the question of whether God deserves your trust at all: How does he want to work in your life? Is God Really Good? This blog is about: How do you deal with negative thoughts? What can you change in your thinking to become free? And how do you learn to relax with God so that you really feel what you believe: that God's love drives away the panic, fear and heaviness in you.
expose lying thoughts
Have you discovered lies that keep you from trusting God? Remember, there are reasons to be suspicious. God is not disappointed that you do not trust him. He never had the wrong idea of who you are and what you think.
But he absolutely wants to rid you of the lying thoughts that keep you from trusting. With Adam and Eve the lie was: “God is greedy and greedy for power. Therefore he forbids us the fruits that bring knowledge.” They believed the lie, and that lie caused suspicion in their hearts. Distrust was just like the pus from a wound, the lie was the splinter.
Getting rid of pus and leaving the sprout in has never been a good idea. Wondering about the pus is stupid. Bitching about someone's pus is even more stupid.
The splinter has to come out, then the wound will heal.
The lie has to come out, then your heart can finally trust God more and more
Find these lies with God's help and make a trade with him.
3 C's: catch, cancel, change
The other day I was listening to a podcast by Holly Bray where she talked about the 3 C's. It was about dealing with negative thoughts. In English, these stood for Catch - Cancel - Change (catch - cancel - change).
That reminded me a lot of 2 Cor 10:3-5. At this point, Paul is dealing with people who have spread lies among Christians about him and their faith in Jesus. In his argument he writes about how he fights against the spread of these lies by the people:
“We may live in this world, but that doesn't mean that we fight as the world fights. 4 The weapons with which we fight our battle are not the weapons of this world. They are weapons from resounding powerwho serve, in service for God hostile forts to destroy. Bring with these weapons we arbitrary thought building to collapse 5 and (we) tear every obstacle, no matter how high, that stands in the way of true knowledge of God. All that selfish thinking we capture, that it may become obedient to Christ.”
His argument at this point was probably with other people. But I notice that this struggle, as he describes it, also takes place in my thinking almost daily:
In my head, too, little men sometimes run around and spread their thoughts about God and the world, about me and my mistakes, etc. Thoughts just come like that. And after the thought has been there for a while, it causes the corresponding feelings as well.
This can make everyday life very tiring. Because negative thoughts create negative feelings. But there are really helpful truths that can help you manage your thoughts and feelings better.
destructive lies = fear and despair vs. God's thoughts = peace and hope
The ideas can be divided into two groups:
There are thoughts that come from God's heart and correspond to his nature. We humans generally refer to these thoughts as positive thoughts.
This is how Christians and non-Christians perceive it: “You are loved and valuable, nice that you exist, don’t give up, you are great, I have forgiven you, a new beginning is possible today, look around: you see, how beautiful the world is?..."
And then there are thoughts that already feel like darkness and confusion: "What are you even on this earth for? Who's gonna miss you? You are an ugly person. you'll never make it Why keep fighting? That's no use anyway. Nothing will ever change – except for the worse.” These thoughts are squarely opposed to God's mind and heart, and are actively fighting the faith in your heart.
Trust God: He addresses difficult issues with love
Is there nothing then that God will ever criticize about you? Yes, it is really important that God corrects you and me and that I am also open to correction. Otherwise it's doom for you and me.
But when the Holy Spirit works change in you, He does it with His Peace and His Love working together. But first you have to believe that it's okay if you make mistakes.
Do you believe deep in your heart that it's terrible when you make a mistake? Then it also feels terrible to admit your mistakes in front of you, God and other people.
The first step to freedom is this: identify the bad thought in your heart.
As I said, you will not find bad fruit on a good tree and nothing good will grow on a bad tree.
God's power is at work in you and wants to help you to break through destructive thought fortresses, buildings and obstacles, to bring them down and tear them down.
Are you struggling with smug ("I'm so great!") or self-defeating ("Why am I not so great?!") thoughts? You can "catch" them through Jesus and subordinate them to Jesus: He is the highest and most worthy person - and still your servant. There's not much room for pride.
HOW TO TRUST AND HOW NOT TO
So now you've discovered thoughts that keep you from trusting. What can you do?
If you have found sentences in yourself that make trust difficult, you have found in these sentences at the same time what youbelieve. Because the thought in you that God z. B. asking you to be perfect is your true belief.
Your deepest thoughts are your true beliefs. If someone asks you what you believe in, share your deepest thoughts with them.
If you were extremely uncomfortable because they didn't agree at all with what your beliefs actually are, you can be happy: you've finally found the splinter!
Fake relax
Imagine sitting in a chair and saying, "This chair is amazing! There is no one better or more stable.” But in reality you think this chair is too rickety to support your weight for more than two minutes.
by Mike Bird from Pexels
Therefore, you will not put your weight on the chair, you will just pretend to be sitting. How cozy would that be? You can proclaim with faith all you want, “I'm so glad to have this chair in my life. Life would be so exhausting without this chair. I could never really rest.”
After two minutes at the most, people around you would probably notice your muscles starting to tremble. And after five minutes, even the last person would have noticed that you don't look relaxed at all and this chair of yours doesn't even remotely live up to its promises.
God wants to be your favorite chair
God is like this chair. And he really doesn't enjoy it if you are living a life where you just pretend to be leaning on him. He wants to carry you with all your burdens.
Do you know this verse: "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). Why is it that without faith you cannot please God? Precisely because God wants to be your chair on which you can throw your whole life weight.
If a chair had thoughts, it might not like it at all if a person never really sat down, but rather half-standing. That also looks silly. A chair is designed to carry you.
God has a purpose for you too themselves determined who he wants to be for you. He wants to be your shepherd, your water, your food, your strength, your father, your lover, your provider, your king, your boss, your prince of peace, your hope and your source of life.
What is left for you to do? Lean on him with all your life, burdens, failures and sin and accept who he is.
Trust in theory
You alone decide whether you trust theoretically or practically. You can trust God all your life like a person who never really sits down in the chair.
Let me tell you: this is going to be a terribly exhausting life. Maybe your faith is just as exhausting? Then have the courage: sit down, get to know God better. God invites you to trust because he will really carry you and is actually good.
By Allec Gomes from Pexels
Every thought that comes to your mind that suggests you don't trust is answered by you every time, very often with a "Yes, that's right". Your thoughts only change when you give these thoughts a different answer inwardly:
"I made a mistake! But I have to do everything right!” – “No, I live by his grace. He is so faithful and has forgiven my debt. He makes me new!”
“Even God can no longer change anything. It is too late.” – “No, what is impossible with man is possible with God.”
"My heart just cannot believe." - No, for no word that comes from God will be of no power" (Luke 1:37).
trust god
Where do you trust God only theoretically? Did you become aware of new things? Write things down and bring them to God. Ask him to help you and see the truth. He helps!
What are your inner sentences like? Continue your list and find the answer to your doubts in the Bible. And then decide to accept what God says as truth.
In the end it remains that: your decision. He gave you strength and his truth. Do you trust in its power and truth? Then pretend today that you believe it.
Nothing is more worthwhile than saying goodbye to a life in which you theoretically trust God - and finding your way to a life in which you can let your whole weight fall on God because you know for sure: He takes care of you ! (1 Peter 5:7).
Question to God: Show me where I only trust you theoretically... what have you become aware of?
Does God carry you? Fakeing trust and how it affects you
How is it actually to trust God? So many Christians walk through their lives with God, but rarely experience His peace or the power He has promised for those who walk with Him. How can this happen? And above all: What has to happen so that you and I can experience more of God and what he wants to give us?
Imagine sitting in a chair and saying, "This chair is amazing! There is no better or more stable chair in the world.” But in reality you think this chair is too fragile to support your weight for more than two minutes. This will result in you never putting your weight fully on the chair, just pretending to sit. How cozy would that be? It doesn't matter how much you proclaim with "faith": “I am so glad to have this chair in my life. Life would be so exhausting without this chair. I could never really rest.”
After two minutes at the most, people around you would probably notice your muscles starting to tremble. And after five minutes, even the last person would have noticed that you don't look relaxed at all and this chair of yours doesn't even remotely live up to its promises.
May God carry you?
God is like this chair. And he really doesn't enjoy it if you are living a life where you just pretend to be leaning on him. He wants to carry you with all your burdens.
Do you know this verse: "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). Why is it that without faith you cannot please God? Well, exactly because of this fact: God wants to be like a chair for you on which you can throw yourself along with your whole weight of life too. If a chair had thoughts, it might not like it at all if a person never really sat down, but stayed in a half-standing position. Besides it looks really silly. A chair is designed to carry you. Thats its purpose.
God also has definded a purpose for himself, who he wants to be for you. He wants to be your shepherd, your water, your food, your strength, your father, your lover, your provider, your king, your boss, your prince of peace, your hope and your source of life.
What is left for you to do? Lean on him with all your life, burdens, failures and sin and accept who he is.
Have you ever thought about whether you actually trust God? More often you may ask yourself whether you believe in God - or whether you believe enough. But when it comes to faith, it must also be about trust in God. Because you don't believe anyone you don't trust. And you don't trust anyone you don't believe a word of it.
I have found throughout my life that I have the ability to theoretically trust God: theoretically, I believe that God is with me. When asked if he wants to help me, I answer: "Yes, theoretically yes...".
Did Jesus pay for my sins and absolve me of all charges? "In theory, yes." The question then is why, practically speaking, do I still feel constantly accused and judged...
The problem, of course, is that theoretical trust in God practically means, "I don't trust you!"
Do you also theoretically trust God sometimes? Then I invite you to consider with me why this is so and what you can do about it. Worth it! Because if you never learn, God practically trusting, you are about to miss the most important thing in your life: experiencing God.
The Holy Spirit is imprisoned in unbelieving believers. And he wants to break out.
Bill Johnson
who god misscan't trust him vertrust
Mistrust is important. It keeps us from running blindly into great dangers. As soon as you see an inconsistency, the alarm bells go off. And that's good -
Except of course someone is using your inherently correct distrust disposition to dupe you.
And this game unfortunately presents itself to us humans in countless experiences in real life as well as in stories, fables and movies.
Human distrust lends itself perfectly to a double game. Because it is enough to simply "sow" a doubt. This thought gets stuck in your brain and quickly takes on a life of its own.
Distrust and as it always doubts
This game of evil (that's what I call it now) is often found in human history. The first time probably with Adam and Eve: "Did God really say that you should not eat of the tree? He's only saying that because he's keeping something from you.” The thought is sown.
The British writer Jane Austen, in her 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice, paints the same story: the kind-hearted Mr Darcy is condemned by Elizabeth because the charming Mr Wickham has bad things to say about him. In the end it turns out that Wickham is the real bad guy who did the bad thing and Mr. Darcy is the real misjudged hero of the whole story.
The same principle applies to the Star Wars films: Darth Sidious lies to Anakin and sees in him the doubt that drives him insane: "The (good) force is not strong enough to protect you and your great love! Turn to the dark power and you will be able to protect your wife!” Anakin believes the voice of evil and loses exactly what he wanted to protect by doing so: he kills the love of his life in his growing, mistrusting anger.
Yes, distrust is often good. But distrust based on a lie is catastrophic.
It is no different in the relationship with God. Here the thoughts of distrust face and fight against the belief in you. The distrust would only be correct if God were actually a villain...
God the villain?
From the beginning, the goal of evil has been to turn you away from trusting in God. Who is this bad guy? Jesus calls him the one who lies as soon as he opens his mouth (John 8:44).
You don't believe that there is a dark and deeply evil force in this world? That evil is just a pipe dream – the Western world is pretty much alone with this idea.
I want to encourage you: look at the incredibly and abysmal evil deeds of people who devour their own children with unspeakably cruel and heinous deeds. In such lives, evil is within reach.
There is evil in this world that acts strategically and wisely at the same time. And it's trying hard to keep whispering this thought to you, "God is not good. Look here and look there what he has done again. It was him!” Then, as if in a trance, people often join in: “Yes, it was him! Why did God do that!"
Which voice can I believe?
The difficult thing about situations of mistrust is this: How can you recognize the truth? It's really not that easy. But there are also good clues that help with orientation like a compass.
Because what do you do in your relationship with God if you find it difficult to trust? Are you cautious about your trust with good reason or not? If you want to live with God, you certainly have a desire to trust God.
But I'm sure sometimes you're afraid to trust God too. I want to tell you: there are reasons for this and it is worth looking for them and examining them a little. Because the question arises: Shouldn't you also distrust these reasons for distrusting God?
Why trust God? Because he's good!
Wikipedia gives the following definition in English:
Trust is a person's willingness to be vulnerable to another person. And this on the assumption that the one who is trusted will behave in a way that benefits the truster. Furthermore, the Truster has no control over the actions of the Trustee.
That's really the only reason why trust makes sense. if god is good If he is up to evil or is evil, it makes sense to distrust him.
Because that is so, you must ask yourself the question: Is God good? Because: if he isn't, it would be foolish to trust him. If you have answered this question well with "Yes, he is good!" I want to ask you: do you think God is good to you? Is everything who he is and what he does good for you? Do you wish for everything He has prepared for you?
I've often noticed that Christians aren't as quick to shout yes and hooray when the topic goes in this direction. I quickly sense a reluctance to surrender myself fully to God's will, usually mixed with an underlying sense of duty.
Why is that? I think that's the most important question of all!
Trusting evil goes against your nature
When God says we should to him fully trust, one thing was very clear to him: for us humans it is impossibleto trust someone evil. It's not just trained. God made you this way! He has put an inner compass in you that you protect yourself from bad people and become suspicious.
If you have lost this protective mechanism, in most cases it has to do with the fact that you have been trained out of it. Maybe through the parents, who everyone says are supposed to be good. But your parents just really weren't or aren't.
Maybe other people have shaped you in an unhealthy way. It can then be difficult to use trust and distrust “correctly”. But there is good news: If you spend time with God, who made you wonderfully, He can put things right. You can put your view of things back in order - for example, realign this inner compass.
Only if God is good can he demand trust
If God made you this way, there are two possibilities:
Either God is a hypocrite, demanding something of you that He knows you cannot meet: full trust in Him, i.e. a completely open heart, even though he does things that hurt you and are bad for you.
Or else God really is perfectly good. And that also means good for you in all situations.
That's not to say that God won't judge and punish when people completely reject Him - and like to do evil as dogs like to eat their poop. God isn't doing anything wrong there. Because without correction there is no justice.
How God shows himself to us in Jesus
God shows himself clearly in Jesus. He carried a great burden to achieve one goal: He wanted to set you free. You were worth it to him when he died on the cross for your sin.
By geralt from Pixabay
The burden of your guilt and your hurts hit him really hard - not just your burden and guilt, but that of everyone who has ever lived and will live.
That's how he is, God the Father: He suffers for his children and helps them out of the biggest shithole. And that's how a father and mother should be: like him.
If you believe that God is just waiting for you to open your heart to face a difficult fate, you can never trust God. Trusting someone who abuses you or treats you badly is only possible by bending your heart. And that's very unhealthy. Then it may look like trust, but it definitely doesn't feel like trust.
God knows we can't trust him when we think he's about to hit us
The evolution of suffering
God does not want to make you a better person by sending you an incurable chronic disease or by letting your partner or parent die.
Many religious people believe in an "evolution of suffering", as if at the end of suffering there would be a new, better person.
But it is not the evolution of suffering that changes you - it is God's Holy Spirit!
The thing is, people can suffer an awful lot and end up being horrible or incredibly wonderful people.
In the same way, people can hardly suffer and end up being wonderful or incredibly terrible people.
However, what often happens through suffering is that we begin to question. This can be a very important process that in the end really causes a person to change course. Often because he realizes how destructive the paths he took without God were.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of light, in whom there is no change, neither of light and darkness" (James 1:17). "God is light, and in him is no darkness" (1 John 1:5).
What is the education that God expects of us?
But what does God ask of us to grow in our relationship with him? Above all, there are three things that God consciously expects of us, which everyone must experience on the one hand, but which are also an opportunity to grow on the other:
1. Trusting God despite suffering:
This life is full of beauty but also full of difficulties, problems and hardships. God doesn't spare us that. Everyone experiences difficulties, some more, others less. That in itself is unfair. All problems and difficulties have one temptation in common: that you doubt whether God is good. Adam and Eve are the first example of this doubt. This is your challenge and the question for you every day: Do you think God is more unjust than you? Or do you hold on to what you've already seen of him and say in the heavy, "No, God is still good. And I will see his goodness.” That's what decides it: do I belong to God or not? In difficult situations, do you immediately doubt that God is good?
Only in this life can we make that sacrifice to God: believing him to be good, even when it doesn't feel like it. That's what it means when Jesus tells us to become like children. Bill Johnson?
Believe God in Difficult Situations?
2. From Sin to Holiness
If you want to cling to sin, that's a bad goal. In that case, you really can't trust God to support you in this. Because another word for sin is "destructive action." And that's what God wants to set you free from. He is constantly inviting you to change your thinking and make room for His Holy Spirit. Then he can show you what reality is and that stinginess is not cool; that adultery is as destructive and insidious as assassination of people you love, and it really is Nothing has to do with “true love”; and that you are a slave when you live in sin. Do you want to see the truth about your sin and become free?
3. His vision becomes your vision
God has a goal that corresponds to his nature: He wants (desperate) people to meet him and become free. God invites you to really get to know him and have a heart like his. This entails certain risks. Because then what is important to him becomes important to you. He endured much suffering to save others. This heart then beats in you. When you really love someone, you care about how they see the world. Are you ready to empathize with God? Do you want to get to know him close enough to see what moves him? Acts 26:17f
Suffering is not the power to become a better person. God Himself is that power.
A person who opens his heart completely to God and trusts in him will become more and more beautiful every year through God himself. You know people where this is not the case? Then you may rightly question whether they really have their roots in Jesus. For Jesus' reasoning was this:
By Mălina Sîrbu from Pexels
"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." Jesus, ca. 30 AD
But before you point fingers at Christians who you think are not good enough, look at yourself and ask yourself: do I let God into all areas of my life so that I become a person who works for myself and others is a blessing and not a curse?
God is not the author of destruction, chaos, murder and manslaughter. But of course what we cannot avoid in this life is the question of why he can allow it. There are many good answers to this question – but that would be another topic. And yet, you may not find an answer in this lifetime that fully satisfies you. But you are made for eternity! Did you know that? Until then, God wants to give you something incredible: His absolute closeness to you and his peace, which is better than any answer can ever be. Can't you believe that? That's because you have far, far too low an expectation of his closeness and peace!
Don't miss the opportunity today to finally meet him and get to know him a little better!
You don't trust God? Don't accuse yourself!
So don't blame yourself if you don't trust God, but ask yourself today:
Why don't I trust God? What am I afraid of?
What do I fear will happen if I invite God and say, "You can do whatever you want in my life."
God tells you to trust him as a child trusts his good father. He knows exactly that a child never trust I canwhen the father does things that are not good for the child. When the father beats up his child and then says it's for his own good, the child knows: that's not the truth. It closes itself – it cannot do otherwise. But God is calling you to trust because He is both perfectly good and devotedly loving for with you,.
You will never be able to fully trust God unless you first believe that he is good (to you).
Do you believe God when he says he's good? This is how your rebirth begins: that you know the truth above God believe. Not, that you on believe him Many believe on God. But the power to change lies in believing in them for who they really are.
We do not need great faith, but faith in a great one (and good ones) God. HudsonTaylor
Put down a piece of paper over the next few days or start a note on your cell phone asking: what are you afraid of? I would be very happy to hear from you too. And then realize that when you give your life to God and invite him into every living space, he wants to come as king and servant. He doesn't want to dominate your life. He wants to serve you, care for you and be a blessing to you. But that's impossible if he can't also be your boss. But who doesn't want a boss like Jesus!
In this way he prepares you to become a servant for other people yourself, where people find protection and strength - with your gifts, limitations and passions. Then you become a person who is even able to share in the suffering of others.
Do you want to decide today to invite God more every day and say to him:
"All I am is yours and I trust you will not harm me."
Imagine you enter a room in which complete chaos reigns. You think to yourself: The poor soul, that has to clean up this mess! Then you suddenly realize: oh gosh, that's my room! Now suddenly you're the poor soul! But the worst part isn't even the mess. The room is pitch black most of the time. Every now and then a ray of light comes in, just to remind you how bad the chaos is.
Shelves swept empty, books and documents on the floor, unimportant rubbish mixed with precious memories are lying in a corner on the floor. And who would have thought: A pile of dog poop lies peacefully under a chair and spreads its very own aroma. Next to it your favorite photo album.
The task of tidying up a room that is really utter chaos is quite a drag. Doing all this in the dark is almost impossible without the help of someone who can see. But this is and will remain your room! And it's the only room you have to live in all the time. It's up to you to create structures that make the room a space that you like to live in and that brings joy to you and the people who visit you.
Let's assume you would manage to tidy up this room and furnish it in such a way that you would feel comfortable in it. But even then: who likes to be in a dark room? Who would like to come and visit?
This room is YOU, so to speak. Or this room is inside of you. It's your inner life. The only room of this kind that you have. You still have your bones, your blood, your skin, etc. All of this is connected to this space, but it is not your inner space - your thoughts, feelings and what we call our heart. So much in life often confuses us. Important things that happen and are said mix with unimportant things and it's really hard to separate one from the other in the dark. And then things happen that you would rather not experience. Someone just dumps their poop on you. Or you've done something terribly wrong and it creates a dreadfull mess internally. Cleaning up poop is never fun. But in the dark?! There is a great temptation to ignore the poop and just leave it there. But that's hardly a good decision.
Your eye gives light to the body. If your eye is healthy, then your whole body will be bright as well. But if it is sick, then your body will be dark. So make sure that there is no darkness in you instead of light. When your whole body is filled with light and there is nothing dark in it, then it will be as bright as when a lamp illuminates you with its light.
Jesus, about 27 AD
If only someone could turn on the light! Because with light the most important thing comes into the room. What a relaxation. The confusing darkness is gone. Finally you can see clearly.
I know the scenario I just described very well. It was a real salvation for me to notice that God wants to bring light to me in a very practical way and give me inner peace and order. If you have never experienced this inner chaos, this article is probably not for you.
In any case, having Jesus with me in my everyday life has become medicine for me.
If I don't drink enough, I get a headache. If I don't spend enough time with God, the inner chaos and confusing darkness start to spread out.
Then, if I'm wise, I quickly put on the kettle, sit down with a cuppa, and invite Jesus into my inner room and have tea with him. Then he brings light. And when, you're sitting there with him in your inner room, it can't be any other way than for Jesus to start asking like any good friend would: 'Hey, why is there still that pile of s*** from 20 years ago? I could help you get rid of it. It might take a little while, but we could get started...' And: 'Should I help you sort out the rubbish?',... That is what he will start doing if you invite him. If you don't want that, it's better not to invite him. But, man, is it worth cleaning out this room with him. I would never want to miss that. I mean, who willingly cleans up a mess he didn't make?!
He helps me to focus on what is important in life and not to waste my life with emotional garbage. We pack things that bother me into a box and then I hand it to him. He takes them away. Sometimes I take these things back again, but I'm getting better and better at noticing that and giving them back to him. It's really a matter of practice. And he takes my failing with humor.
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You may be wondering why the Bible says Jesus died for us. Well, that's exactly why: to be light in you and me and to clean up our poop. This "poop" in life can be very different: People who have hurt you. People that you have hurt. Maybe some memories of what you or others did still haunt you. Maybe you treat yourself badly or hurt yourself. Bad experiences are also part of this poop. Or addictions you may have. Destructive behavior you just can't stop.
A lot of people try to get the poop out of their lives without him. I have a feeling that this leads to one of two things: you don't get rid of the poop, you just keep getting more. Then the room remains quite a pigsty. Or they can get rid of it, but have to use such strong cleaning agents that burn everything away, leaving an empty, sterile room. I think Jesus does a better job.
Does your inner light shine?
I have experienced how God has changed my inner space day by day in a very unspectacular way, but somehow also completely supernaturally. When he's there, it feels so good. Just like a warm light after everything being dark. And it starts very simple. Maybe so simple that you don't even notice a difference at first. Make an effort to spend time with him. Talk to Jesus and let him have a say too. And if you can't hear him, don't doubt that he's still there. Maybe he's busy cleaning up your inner room. Invite him to be the light in you. He doesn't just talk of the light, but he is the light.
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will no longer wander in the dark, but will have the light of life.” Jesus
When I planted onions this year, I was really amazed at how easy onions start to take root. All it took was for that dry little bulb to touch moist soil. And boom, two days later the first roots were starting to grow. Just the gentle touch of the earth is enough to set of a complicated process.
What if you were created with a similar ability? With the ability to touch God and that from that touch, just like with the onion, something starts to grow inside you?
You don't have to rub your body with earth (even though that's definitely healthy and can be really beneficial;-) ) or walk barefoot from now on (even though we don't walk barefoot much enough) to be connected to the energy of the earth.
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No. Getting in touch with God is easy. And with him it works like this: we simply think it in our hearts and then say it to him – loudly or quietly: “I want you as my earth! I wish to be in contact with you”. Making this decision in your heart is important. Because we can say a lot, but not mean it seriously.
When this happens in your heart on a daily basis, something can begin to grow. Daily might sound exhausting to you now? I will try to explain why.
Planting good habits
I love gardening and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that it doesn't do a plant any good to dig it up every other day and leave it lying in the sun. The next day you plant it back into the soil. But by then the damage is done. No matter how good the soil is, no matter how much water you give it when you plant it, the plant will have a very hard time! Even if the plant does survive this constant procedure, it will quite definitely not turn out to be a remotely healthy plant.
You are like this plant and God is like your earth who gives you life and strength. That's why it makes sense to open your heart to God every day. Not because he needs you, but because you need him.
You often only notice its influence when it is absent. If you live uprooted, there are consequences. Sun and storm damage a plant much more when it is uprooted. Stress, bad events, fears, arguments, etc. do you much more harm when you live uprooted from God.
Every day that you don't care if he is with you has consequences: you have found no shelter and no nourishment with him. Among other things, His nourishment looks like this: He wants to give you love, joy, hope, peace - in the middle of a storm -, patience, perseverance, kindness, self-control. This is the God as the Bible describes him.
I used to wonder a lot why God feels so far away. I think it's like that for a lot of people every day. One reason - but not the only one! – is: I don't take the time every day to cultivate my relationship with this incredibly great God who loves me. And that because I don't view myself as dependent to him like a plant is to the soil.
If your relationship with Him is like a plant that is left unattended, is it any wonder that your prayers feel tedious and nothing "comes across" from God? Not surprisingly, then, the emergency planting trip feels more like stress to you. Incidentally, this also applies to all love relationships between two people.
But God would not be God if that overwhelmed him. He knows you. And unlike a plant, he still protects you even when you're not thinking about it.
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Jesus says of himself that he is like a shepherd. He seeks the lost sheep and worries about it. And in this story the sheep thinks of real everything, except of the good shepherds.
It doesn't matter if you don't think about him all the time. But if you don't give a damn about God or what he thinks in your every day life then it's going to have a very big impact on your life.
I am convinced: it is very easy to touch God every day.
And it's not tiring. But with that God with you, it takes two things:
First, that you trust him: "you I can and want to get in touch with me."
Do you actually know that he really loves you passionately?
Second, that you accept: "I need you, God to come alive." Of course, you then first have to realize this: "I'm kind of as dead inside as an onion without soil, if you don't touch my heart.
Can you belive that?
"With you, God, is the source of my life, and in your light I see light" (Psalm 36:10).
I hope that today will be a day for you to get back in touch with him.
Have a great day,
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