Doubt Can Sink Us

"But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" (Matthew 14:30-31).

Peter had a little faith. It's why he cried out for Jesus to save him. When he took his eyes off Jesus, and looked at his surroundings and everything that caused him to fear, he began to doubt.

I imagine his thought process went like this: Wow. I'm walking on water! Wait. I'm walking on water. That's not something I've ever done before. What if I mess up? What if I sink? What if I...

You get the picture. The "what ifs," the possible outcomes, and the worry over those possible outcomes can sink us. Our faith tells us we can, and we believe it, but the doubt drowns it out.

Just an interesting thought for today.

Getting That Degree

At my church's women's ministry meeting on Saturday, the guest speaker - a lady who has spoken before and always delivers a good message - spoke about worry, and how our faith, if real, is enough to overcome worry. She said many things, and the whole message resonated within me. There are two things from her message that I want to share today.

She mentioned an old song that says "While you're trying to figure it out, God already has it worked out." I don't remember the name of the song, or anything else, but what an amazing thing to remember. When we're stressing about what's going to happen, God already has it worked out, in our favor. All we have to do is talk to Him, pray about it, and listen, taking action as directed. We know what we have to do. There's no need to stress about it.

Another thing she mentioned was this: when we worry, it's because our relationship with God isn't what it should be. When we seek Him, and continuously stay in His presence, all doubts disappear. We have to actively seek Him, and action leaves no room for worry. So, we have to study His Word, and learn from Him. As we do, we grow, and little by little, we will earn a very special degree.

P.H.D. - Past Having Doubts
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"In the same way, faith by itself, it if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17).

"But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" (Matthew 14:30-31).

My Blogging Days

Some days I am excited to blog, and others I couldn't care less. When I learn something, I'm especially excited to blog! Now that I've been doing this blog for a while, one thing I've learned is not to force a post. If I try to force a post, often it comes out disjointed, jumbled, and doesn't make sense. Even if it does make sense, it seems that there is something that isn't right in the post. So, some posts just take more time and more thought before I can post them.

I've also found that realizing that I don't have to do a post every day takes a lot of pressure off. After all, this blog is about my personal reflections and musings, and if I don't have a thought to follow up on for one or two days, that's okay.

One thing I've been bad about lately, though, is getting complacent about blogging. Sometimes I think "Oh, I did a post yesterday. It can wait." But if there's something to say, or research, or reflect on, I should do it, even if I just did a post yesterday. Right?

Sometimes finding the motivation for that is hard, but I'm trying. It's not easy, especially when daily life gets in the way.
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Today's verse of the day on my Bible app: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" (James 1:5).

Not entirely relevant to today's post, but I just finished reading the book of James, so it works. :)

Trials and Perseverance

When trials come against us, it's very difficult to think of persevering. It's much more appealing to give up and walk away. We shouldn't do that. Instead, we should keep trying until we succeed. We should pray, and endure. I know. It's so much harder to do than to say.

James 1:2-3 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

When our faith is tested, we learn perseverance. I'm still learning.

Perception

Our actions matter. Our words matter. The way we act effects the way people see us, perceive us. So, if we do not read God's Word, let it soak in, and apply it to our lives, we may not act the way we should. I know sometimes we might slip up, but this can influence the way people see us, and how they see God in us.

For example, if we behave wrongly just once in front of a new Christian, or even a seasoned one, that person might have trouble trusting that the things we say or teach, the books we recommend, or the pamphlets we hand out truly fall into line with the Word of God.

No one can be perfect, but we have to be mindful of the way we act, and how our actions will be perceived by others and, more importantly, by God.
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"May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Bragging

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips" (Proverbs 27:1-2).

So, no bragging. I think it's still okay to be honest about your talents if someone asks, but be modest! Ego will get you into a lot of trouble.

I think if you master a new skill, it's okay to tell your friends about it, especially if they knew you were trying to learn. However, it is always best to let others talk about how amazing you are. If you do a good deed, it's best not to boast about it. Do it not for recognition, but because it is good, it is right, because you can. Let others recognize you if they will, but don't expect or demand it.

The Duty of Mankind

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 - Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

I finished the book of Ecclesiastes today, and wanted to share these last two verses and my thoughts.

I don't think "Fear God" means to be afraid of Him, certainly not if we're His children. I always interpret that more as "Respect God," or "Be in awe of God." Respecting Him, and fearing Him, as we would a Father who loves, teaches, and corrects us, leads us to want to keep His commandments, because they are in place to protect us, to keep us by His side.

This is our duty. This is all we have to do. We have to love God, respect Him, and keep His commandments. If you're unsure about what to do in a situation, the information/instructions are right in God's Word. One day, He will look at our deeds and pass judgment. When I'm judged, I want to be judged for the good deeds I've done, and not the sins I've committed. I want to keep God's commandments, so that I can always walk with Him, so that He will always walk with me.

Ecclesiastes

Currently, I'm reading the book of Ecclesiastes. Actually, I've almost finished it. It's a good book, and one reason I picked it up at this time is because I kept coming across verses from this book that were relevant to some of my other posts.

I like the book of Ecclesiastes. However, I find that some of the chapters are a little difficult for me to understand. I can pick out verses that make sense to me, but some confuse me.

Today's post isn't going to be about the confusing parts, though. Instead, I'm going to post some of my favorite verses and concepts. I'll save the ones that confused me for a later post, perhaps when they make a little more sense.

So, without further ado, some of my favorite verses from the book of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 1:4 - Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 - What has been will be again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:14 - The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness, but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1... - There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...

Ecclesiastes 10:1 - As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

So, these are just some of the verses I love so much about the book of Ecclesiastes. This book is full of wisdom. I just don't understand all of it. If you have any comments about this book, please leave on below!

Follow Him

Earlier today, I kept humming parts of this song, and finally gave in and listened to it. I love this song each and every time I hear it, and it reaffirms something in me.

So, today's post is just a song recommendation.

My favorite line in this song is "If this life I lose, I will follow You." Such powerful devotion. This line evokes powerful images for me. Many people have lost their lives because they chose to follow God; people will always want to oppose Him, will always want to destroy His people. Yet, we follow God, because He is everything.

Today I wondered if I would be willing to stand firm in my beliefs, stand firm for God, even if doing so would cost me my life. Could we stand like the men and women of ages past? Would I have that kind of courage? Would you? Would we be able to stand firm, and have courage even in the face of death, knowing that whatever fear, or pain we felt would be temporary, especially compared to facing eternity without God?

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"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it'" (Matthew 16:24-25).

"Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:38-39).

The Wrong Fit

I've been following this blog for a while now, and actually linked to it in an earlier post. Today I want to talk specifically about something mentioned in this post.

She says "Why do we sometimes try to make something work for us that clearly doesn't? Why do we desperately try to make something fit us that doesn't fit at all? "

That's a good question. A really good question. One of my friends and I have been talking the past two days about things we want to accomplish this year. I really had no clue at first, but managed to come up with a couple goals for this year. They're continuations of goals from last year, but that's okay. Sometimes it's not necessary to create entirely new goals. My point is that the past couple days I've been thinking a lot, and when I read this post today, it hit home.

Why do we hold onto things that are no longer good for us? Why do we keep ourselves in situations that no longer benefit us or serve a purpose other than to make us miserable? Why do we try to force something to fit when it doesn't? Why?

I think it's time to stop doing that. It's time to let go of things that don't fit, and use the new space for things that do. Perhaps there's something you want to do in 2015, but you feel like you can't because something is holding you back. Perhaps it's fear. Fear is one of those things that doesn't fit. Let it go, and make room for something else.
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"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit" (Proverbs 15:13).