Where You Go, What You Do...

Where You Go, What You Do...

By David Brenneman

"The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" - Proverbs 16:9 NASB95

"Man's steps are ordained by the Lord, How then can man understand his way?" Proverbs 20:24 NASB95

"The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the innermost parts of his being." Proverbs 20:27 NASB95

"Every man's way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." Proverbs 21:2 NASB95

"There is no wisdom, and no understanding and now counsel against the Lord." Proverbs 21:30 NASB95

My Dear Reader, where do your passions go?  Where do you lead people?  We all do in some extent. We see this happening or that happening and we point people towards or away from something.  Our lives even by saying nothing show people either God's still better way or we show them what not to do.

Our lives are an ongoing story.  One that will be never fully understood in the scope of our finite minds while we yet possess these unglorified bodies.  While we yet have to pray for guidance and direction.

We are torn between multiple worlds and often don't put up a fight concerning what we ought to fight for.

This world is full of the temptations that are tailor made for sinners.  It's a corrupted world that isn't what God intended for mankind.  We often run into places where angels fear to tread.  We easily forget what King David said "Against you and you alone have I sinned".

We sin against God in our lives, which is why we needed a Savior.

We sin against God in our lives, which is why we need daily cleansing of sin through His forgiveness.

We sometimes are the blind leading the blind because we aren't walking in the light of Christ after we get out of maybe church on Sunday's.  We move around God's 'time' on Sunday's, or whenever the church we attend is meeting because it conflicts with our desires of things and events in this world.

Meeting with Jesus becomes a chore rather than a choice. 

Meeting with Jesus becomes second to hobbies, sports, anything and everything from rest to eating habits.  Jesus is relegated to the role of butler in the lives of people because they don't pay any attention to His plans or direction for their lives.  Prayer even gets relegated to what we eat or emergencies.

My Friend, if you only pray when you're in trouble, you're already in trouble.

We can't stop the Lord from going everywhere in our hearts and minds but we can think we do.

Read that passage up at the beginning again. "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the innermost parts of his being." Who gave you your spirit?  What does it say in Jeremiah 17:10 NASB95 "I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, To give to each person according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds."

In those things we direct people, are we pointing them to Jesus or to something in this world? 

In our lives are we an example of "Jesus lives here" or are we an example of one who's so enmeshed in this world that people can't see the difference?

Do we get way more excited about products and events than we do about meeting with Jesus? 

Does our passions ignite for Jesus or do they ignite for what this world has to offer?

Read between the lines of what Jesus said:  You cannot serve two masters. You will hate the one and love the other. You will cling to one and despise the other.  It's really more than just God and money.  We do stupid things for money.  We take jobs that aren't God-honoring.  We aren't seeking what God wants us to do with it but what we can do with it.

Reality is what can happen when we get honest with God and ask Him to open our eyes, if we dare.

He will show us truth because He is truth.  When we are at the center of His will for us, 'amazing' doesn't even come close to what happens in that person's life.  We trade God's idea of amazing for the world's and are comfortable with that.  

We should never ever put Jesus in a corner of our lives only to be called upon when disaster strikes.

We should always be seeking His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

We should weigh, ourselves, the merits of what we are doing, where our thoughts, our passions, our words, thoughts, deeds are going...will these things bring people closer to God or only closer to the god we are actually worshipping?  Ouch.

If our lives reflect anything it should be "Jesus lives here.  I'm a work in progress of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You should see how I used to be, and how far He's brought me towards becoming more like Him."

If our lives reflect this world...we have a very big problem.  Garbage in garbage out.  What you put in is what you put out. 

Do you have any "God Sized" prayer requests that align with Spiritual Growth?  Requests that would indeed bring you closer to the person you were meant to be in Christ Jesus?

Do you think about the things above more than you do the things down here?  

Indeed is praying a chore to you or is it something you look forward to?

If our focus is on other things rather than our walk with Jesus, we're really in need of new glasses.

In the last year I've been getting an education on eating.  Diets and pre-packaged food products are really a waste of your time, money and efforts.  Spending hours and hours in a gym probably won't help much either.  My Wife's idea is the right idea on eating.  Pray about it. Let the Lord direct your steps. Just as it says in Proverbs. Include God in what you are doing and you won't need to spend money on programs or anything that's taking your focus off of Him.  

We often put our ideas of what God can do or can't do without considering what God can do or can't do. We let past fears, regrets, incidents, guide us rather than what Jesus says is right for us.  If that same God that lead Noah, lead Moses, lead Joseph, lead Daniel, lead Abraham, is the same that has the power to raise the dead in whom we put our trust for that is the same today as He was yesterday, there's more than plenty of power to live a life in Godliness by trusting in Him for what we eat, and what we do.

I don't plan out eating or in most cases even 'doing' of things.  For me it's this: I am a worker in His fields, I am to do what He's put before me to be doing.  From eating, to sleeping, an everything in between.  It says I'm to do everything to the glory of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

My education in eating has indeed worked for me and it can work for anyone.  Yes there's a lot of things I no longer eat, but I know that when I do get my glorified body, that will no longer be an issue.  I've lived all my life with the knowledge that I cannot eat apples due to what they do to me.  So what does it matter if there's now a list of things that I don't eat for what it does to me?   Work around it by eating what is beneficial and move on with life.  Pray without ceasing includes everything from sleep to sleep. From when we get up to going back to bed.  

Food is my example because it's the next 'big thing' in my walk with Jesus to do better in what I'm doing and to remove distractions from my walk with Him.  Many won't agree.  This is my story and I'm sticking to it.  God's shown me a still better way.  I eat less, I spend less, I spend more time considering what He has to do in my life and what matters most to Him. 

Even in the aspect of the news I've learned to take what I call the "Amish Approach".  I don't necessarily pay attention to it because it's doing nothing really for me in helping my walk with Jesus.

We are to remember 2 Peter 1:3 NASB95 "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."  EVERYTHING. 

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB95

Take a long look in the mirror...have you relegated Jesus to anything else but your Savior and Lord?

Are you so focused in what you're doing for you that you you've really excluded Jesus?

Are you so into what you want to do that when Jesus speaks up you put Him in the "servant's quarters" of your heart?  

Are you at all living a life that says "Jesus lives here...inquire within!"

Whether or not you agree with what was said today...I encourage you to seek Jesus and no matter if it's me or if it's you...when we do...He WILL show us a "still better way".