😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. How was your first week of Lent? I was less than a half a day into Ash Wednesday when I let myself get the better of me and ended up doing the opposite of what Jesus specifically tells us about in Matthew 18:15-17. Basically, He tells us if someone sins against us, we need to talk with them first. If the issue persists, then we talk with the person again, but this time we bring a couple witnesses. If things still don’t change, then we bring the situation to the church (community). Well, I let the issue build in me and instead of approaching the person, I skipped a few steps and took it right to the community. I have been beating myself up about this ever since then. I’ve had quite a few conversations with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirt about they way I went about things. I’m not proud of myself at all, but God has shown me some better options for future situations and how to act as He teaches. I’m still a work in progress, which He knows too well. But He is willing to work with me. Yesterday morning I read the final entry in Cara Whitney’s Unbridled Faith, which again drew me back to my actions from last Wednesday. She wrote: “When the Bible steps on our feet by addressing a sin we are afraid to confront or give up, we are reminded of how heavy our sins can be.” She goes on to say: “…the battle for our souls may be over, but the sting of sin will continue to harass us.” Are you like me and allow your sins to beat you up?
Speaking of talking with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, did you accept last week’s Lenten challenge to talk with each of Them individually on a daily basis? Last Thursday during my lunch walk with the Holy Spirit, I received a name that I’ve been trying to figure out for a few years now. When I speak with God, I like to address Him as I would a friend. Father is good. Jesus is good. But Holy Spirit, it just never seemed to quite roll off my tongue. It seemed formal and forced, so I tended not to address the Holy Spirit when I spoke with Him. Before I go further, one thing I want to share with you is that God makes His presence known to me by showing Himself as a deer. So last Thursday when I was walking in the snow, I looked across the field and saw one set of deer tracks. He told me: “Sometimes I let you see where I’ve been and other times, I’m there without you knowing.” My mind drifted to walking with God at our favorite place, and that’s when He told me…”Trail Guide. You can call me Trail Guide.” I know this probably doesn’t sound exciting to you, but it was perfect addressing the Holy Spirit as Trail Guide. That flows very easily and after all, He is guiding me on this journey through life. It really was no surprise to me when again yesterday morning, God gave me to read Cara Whitney’s devotional “Follow the Trail Map” from Unbridled Faith Devotions for Young Readers. Cara wrote: God has given us the perfect trail map to get us safely through life: the Bible. Dotting the pages of Scripture (like trail markers along the way) are God’s promises. They encourage us to keep going and warn us away from danger. God knows the way because He is the Way (John 14:6).” She goes on to say: “And consider this: not only did God give us the map, He created the trails!” There is NO ONE better than the Creator, Himself, to take our guidance from. Grab your Bible and this week (if you aren’t already) in addition to having your one on One conversations, start blazing your trail through His living, true, and ever guiding word. Bless others and be blessed.
If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.
#CaraWhitney – Unbridled Faith
#CaraWhitney – Unbridled Faith Devotions for Young Readers
#Unspoken – Mistakes
Third Day Devotions 