by:toni smothers
Isaiah 6: 1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were angels, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD ALMIGHTY: the whole earth is full of his glory”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD ALMIGHTY.” Then one of the angels flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
In God’s Presence, sin is revealed and sin is healed.
Isaiah knew immediately that he was unclean and unfit before God. He also knew that he lived among a people that were unclean as well. Isaiah’s sin was atoned for by a touch from the coals of the altar. God has atoned for our sin also by sending Jesus to take our guilt upon himself.
Only after the revealing and healing of sin, did Isaiah hear God speak. We cannot expect to hear from the Lord if we are not living confessed lives.
How often do we feel convicted when we come before God? We need to praise God for Jesus’ sacrifice for us and continually confess our sinfulness, asking the Lord to give us new hearts. Then, as cleansed children of God, we can claim the atonement given us by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our loving Father waits for our true confession and repentance.
Take a moment now to speak to God and ask him to show you anything in your life that is separating you from His love and guidance.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you so much for Jesus and all that He has done to make it possible for us to come to you in full confidence that when we pray you will hear us and forgive us. We confess that we sometimes rationalize our sinfulness and disobedience to your laws and try to pretend that our sin is not so bad, or that You don't notice them, compared to others whose sin is more open and obvious. Please forgive us now, Lord, as we truly repent from all our pretense and rationalization about our sin. Please keep our spirits sensitive to your truth, keep us daily seeking to learn from your Word and help us learn to live more and more like Jesus everyday. Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Heart to Heart
Heart to Heart
By Toni Smothers
Suppose that one day you could be Jesus. Jesus wakes up in your bed, digs through your stuff to pack your bag of books you’ll need for the day at school. You still have the same problems, your room is still a disaster, your schedule is still hectic and nothing else about your life changes. You dress in your clothes and mumble, "I’m not hungry," to your mom as you leave for school. Or would you stop to appreciate that breakfast and even hug your mom before you go? Jesus’ heart would be yours and he would live your life for one full day. Imagine…
Just for this one day, you live your life with Jesus’ heart instead of your own. His passions would become yours. His love would direct your behavior. What would it be like? Would you look around the school yard just for your friends, dismissing all the regular mob of kids? Or would you find yourself smiling a little like a silly, giddy person, just caught up in the beauty of the day and the wonder of life? Would all the kids seem different? Would each one bring you joy as you casually pass by? How would you perceive the nerdy kids? Do you think you would still make fun of them or be jealous of the popular cover girl club? Any chance you’d feel less stressed, maybe need fewer Tylenol that day? Would you still dread math class? Would you still do what you normally do?
Would you stick to your schedule and still do what you had planned for the day? Take a second to think about a typical day. Would you live it the same way? With Jesus taking over your heart, would anything change?
Guess what? That’s exactly what God’s plan for you is. He wants you to think and act like Christ Jesus. "Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form." (Philippians 2:5-7 NLT)
God’s plan for you is nothing short of a new heart. Radical? You bet it is!
So, will your day include compassion towards that fat girl that everyone, including you, usually makes fun of in gym class? Will you be open to learning with an enthusiastic spirit and get all you can from the days work? You see, just because God loves you just the way you are, He won’t ever leave you this way. He wants so much more for you. There isn’t anything you can do to make God love you more or less, but there is so much He can do to help you love yourself and others better. With your heart filled with Jesus you can not act the same way as usual.
Try it out. Get up a little earlier tomorrow. Kneel at your bedside and speak to God. Ask Him to make your heart new. Ask for a heart like Jesus and ask for Him to stay with you all day long. Every time you even think of doing or saying something tacky, a silent tug at your heart will ask you to reevaluate. You don’t have to, of course, because He allows you your free will at all times, but you could choose to listen. You could choose to dump any ugliness for the joy of the Lord.
So what if someone snubs you and acts stupid. Forgive them and keep your joy. If your test score comes back lower than you’d hoped, determine to study more and ask God to help you in that area too. When you get PMS and want to just curl up in a little pity party, think of Christ hanging on the cross. Be nicer to everyone. By comparison, you might find a different perspective on those mood swings. Let every word in the Bible guide you until the words are written in your heart and you know that Jesus lives in you forever.
Christ was scorned by many yet He was ready to forgive everyone before they even asked for His mercy. Can you forgive those who have hurt you and move on? It’s so liberating to begrudge no one and choose love instead. Choose to lay aside what you think you’re entitled to. Rise to a higher standard of living.
Often people excuse selfishness, pride, or evil by claiming their rights. They think, "I can cheat on this test; after all, I deserve to pass this class," or "I can spend all this money on myself – I worked hard for it," or "I can get an abortion, I have a right to control my own body." But as believers, we should have a different attitude, one that enables us to lay aside our rights in order to serve others.
Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others, just as Jesus did. Just keep on asking and He’ll help you make the right choices.
________________________________________
Toni Smothers is a child of God, wife, mom, grandmother, writer and lay-speaker. She has had serious exposure to the rougher side of life and from that experience has been left with a heart full of love for others who struggle with learning about our beautiful Savior. Through her writing, Toni delights in helping young people especially, who are seeking to find a true, intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father. You can write to Toni through the Your Letters page of this magazine.
By Toni Smothers
Suppose that one day you could be Jesus. Jesus wakes up in your bed, digs through your stuff to pack your bag of books you’ll need for the day at school. You still have the same problems, your room is still a disaster, your schedule is still hectic and nothing else about your life changes. You dress in your clothes and mumble, "I’m not hungry," to your mom as you leave for school. Or would you stop to appreciate that breakfast and even hug your mom before you go? Jesus’ heart would be yours and he would live your life for one full day. Imagine…
Just for this one day, you live your life with Jesus’ heart instead of your own. His passions would become yours. His love would direct your behavior. What would it be like? Would you look around the school yard just for your friends, dismissing all the regular mob of kids? Or would you find yourself smiling a little like a silly, giddy person, just caught up in the beauty of the day and the wonder of life? Would all the kids seem different? Would each one bring you joy as you casually pass by? How would you perceive the nerdy kids? Do you think you would still make fun of them or be jealous of the popular cover girl club? Any chance you’d feel less stressed, maybe need fewer Tylenol that day? Would you still dread math class? Would you still do what you normally do?
Would you stick to your schedule and still do what you had planned for the day? Take a second to think about a typical day. Would you live it the same way? With Jesus taking over your heart, would anything change?
Guess what? That’s exactly what God’s plan for you is. He wants you to think and act like Christ Jesus. "Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form." (Philippians 2:5-7 NLT)
God’s plan for you is nothing short of a new heart. Radical? You bet it is!
So, will your day include compassion towards that fat girl that everyone, including you, usually makes fun of in gym class? Will you be open to learning with an enthusiastic spirit and get all you can from the days work? You see, just because God loves you just the way you are, He won’t ever leave you this way. He wants so much more for you. There isn’t anything you can do to make God love you more or less, but there is so much He can do to help you love yourself and others better. With your heart filled with Jesus you can not act the same way as usual.
Try it out. Get up a little earlier tomorrow. Kneel at your bedside and speak to God. Ask Him to make your heart new. Ask for a heart like Jesus and ask for Him to stay with you all day long. Every time you even think of doing or saying something tacky, a silent tug at your heart will ask you to reevaluate. You don’t have to, of course, because He allows you your free will at all times, but you could choose to listen. You could choose to dump any ugliness for the joy of the Lord.
So what if someone snubs you and acts stupid. Forgive them and keep your joy. If your test score comes back lower than you’d hoped, determine to study more and ask God to help you in that area too. When you get PMS and want to just curl up in a little pity party, think of Christ hanging on the cross. Be nicer to everyone. By comparison, you might find a different perspective on those mood swings. Let every word in the Bible guide you until the words are written in your heart and you know that Jesus lives in you forever.
Christ was scorned by many yet He was ready to forgive everyone before they even asked for His mercy. Can you forgive those who have hurt you and move on? It’s so liberating to begrudge no one and choose love instead. Choose to lay aside what you think you’re entitled to. Rise to a higher standard of living.
Often people excuse selfishness, pride, or evil by claiming their rights. They think, "I can cheat on this test; after all, I deserve to pass this class," or "I can spend all this money on myself – I worked hard for it," or "I can get an abortion, I have a right to control my own body." But as believers, we should have a different attitude, one that enables us to lay aside our rights in order to serve others.
Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others, just as Jesus did. Just keep on asking and He’ll help you make the right choices.
________________________________________
Toni Smothers is a child of God, wife, mom, grandmother, writer and lay-speaker. She has had serious exposure to the rougher side of life and from that experience has been left with a heart full of love for others who struggle with learning about our beautiful Savior. Through her writing, Toni delights in helping young people especially, who are seeking to find a true, intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father. You can write to Toni through the Your Letters page of this magazine.
Live in the light
Live in the Light
By Toni Smothers
We live in a culture that puts cell phones in almost every teen’s hip pocket or purse and computers in most of your bedrooms. The media bombards you with what to want, what to wear, what size to be and what is and is not cool. Decadence hides behind tolerance and many of you fall for its lure. Hormones rage, but pre-marital sex is sinful.
Are you kidding me?
Yes, I know that everyone you know is having sex – or at least they act like it. Yet, you know in your heart that abstinence is God’s way. Your skin suddenly looks like the surface of the moon and hipster jeans were not made for any normal body. But, they are cool, so you wear them anyway and just feel self-conscious all the time about the little pouch trying to roll over the top.
Although you can have freedom from sin’s confusion and walk in the light, all that sometimes gets mixed up with what to wear, what’s on the schedule and who is that new kid you saw sitting all alone in the cafeteria? He must be a loser.
Oops, that wasn’t nice. Maybe he’s just new. Well, you can’t worry about some strange kid with all that’s on your mind.
And the most amazing part about your "messed up" life is that in-between all that confusion, you can be so totally forgiven and at peace within yourself – sometimes you forget that.
How can you strive to become more like the One who died for you? How do you actually do that "walk in purity" scenario? It’s not like it comes naturally.
No, it’s not easy to deny yourself and often you don’t want to do the things your parents or other adults want you to do. They sometimes treat you like wind-up toys and the trouble is that half the time you don’t know which direction to go next. They wind you up with advice that seems overly simplistic, like, "Just say no", or "Remember you are a child of God." They honestly seem to think that your life’s nothing but fun and that your choices are easily made because you are a Christian. So, off you go into the real world where you are exposed to a great deal more than "fun". In the end, it’s mostly up to you to figure out how to do the right thing.
So how do you jump in with even a few of your own ideas or thoughts? Who do you trust with the boiling emotions within? Where do you turn when it all gets too much and you feel like you could just freak from the pressure?
Well, you need Jesus with you all the time. You need to make contact with Him though prayer every day. Tell Him what confuses you and find friends who will really be there for you. Check out your local church and Christian youth group. Stay connected to Christian fellowship.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Not every kid in that group is "for real" either, but you do have a better chance of hooking up with some genuine friends. You just might find some friends that don’t talk behind your back, or worse still, rag on you to your face. Then again, there are imposters everywhere in life and those kids aren’t perfect either. God is still working on us all.
So, what does a basically normal, striving-to-be-well-adjusted teenager do? Again I say, go to the source – Jesus who waits with baited breath for your love and worship. Give Jesus a chance and see if He isn’t everything He claims to be.
Know that Jesus doesn’t want to condemn you or make you feel like a failure. He does want you to see your need for Him though. We all mess up sometimes. Show me someone who has never lied, or swiped a few extra of something, or gossiped about others, or gone too far with the opposite sex, or any myriad of things and I’ll show you a mannequin. There isn’t any one of us that can claim to be continually walking in the light besides Jesus Christ. No one can do the right thing 24/7. So you’ll have to resist that prideful part of you that doesn’t want to admit mistakes and tell Him just what you have done in the past and ask for His forgiveness. Pour your heart out to the most compassionate man who ever walked the earth. He can renew you and fill you with his Holy Spirit.
A lot of teens blow the whole religion thing off. They figure that’s for the older generation. But don’t wait till later to find your destiny and purpose. Don’t miss today’s opportunities because you’re too busy to see them or too proud to search for them. Seek the Lord and all He has for you, just as you are. He will slowly guide you down paths that cleanse and restore your spirit. He is the only one who will love you and understand you unconditionally.
In Ephesians 5:16-17(NLT), it says, "So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict."
And that’s why you need Jesus in your heart to talk to and to listen to – so you can make the right choices.
And, I have one other suggestion, try welcoming that new kid who looks lost and dorky. You know he’s got to be suffering with the way he sticks out, being all alone and with no one to befriend him. You may be the only one all day who tries to help him feel acceptance. He might even become a true friend. (Read this month’s article, ‘Where Eagles Soar’, and realize the kind of person you could be missing out on just because he doesn’t look cool and probably isn’t.) At the very least, you can do as Christ commanded in Matthew 25:40 (NLT), "And the King will tell them, I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me."
* * *
If you need a best friend, I highly recommend Jesus Christ our Lord. He will teach you how to be kind and how to cope.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toni Smothers is a child of God, wife, mom, grandmother, writer and lay-speaker. She has had serious exposure to the rougher side of life and from that experience has been left with a heart full of love for others who struggle with learning about our beautiful Savior. Through her writing, Toni delights in helping young people especially, who are seeking to find a true, intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father. You can write to Toni through the Your Letters page of this magazine.
By Toni Smothers
We live in a culture that puts cell phones in almost every teen’s hip pocket or purse and computers in most of your bedrooms. The media bombards you with what to want, what to wear, what size to be and what is and is not cool. Decadence hides behind tolerance and many of you fall for its lure. Hormones rage, but pre-marital sex is sinful.
Are you kidding me?
Yes, I know that everyone you know is having sex – or at least they act like it. Yet, you know in your heart that abstinence is God’s way. Your skin suddenly looks like the surface of the moon and hipster jeans were not made for any normal body. But, they are cool, so you wear them anyway and just feel self-conscious all the time about the little pouch trying to roll over the top.
Although you can have freedom from sin’s confusion and walk in the light, all that sometimes gets mixed up with what to wear, what’s on the schedule and who is that new kid you saw sitting all alone in the cafeteria? He must be a loser.
Oops, that wasn’t nice. Maybe he’s just new. Well, you can’t worry about some strange kid with all that’s on your mind.
And the most amazing part about your "messed up" life is that in-between all that confusion, you can be so totally forgiven and at peace within yourself – sometimes you forget that.
How can you strive to become more like the One who died for you? How do you actually do that "walk in purity" scenario? It’s not like it comes naturally.
No, it’s not easy to deny yourself and often you don’t want to do the things your parents or other adults want you to do. They sometimes treat you like wind-up toys and the trouble is that half the time you don’t know which direction to go next. They wind you up with advice that seems overly simplistic, like, "Just say no", or "Remember you are a child of God." They honestly seem to think that your life’s nothing but fun and that your choices are easily made because you are a Christian. So, off you go into the real world where you are exposed to a great deal more than "fun". In the end, it’s mostly up to you to figure out how to do the right thing.
So how do you jump in with even a few of your own ideas or thoughts? Who do you trust with the boiling emotions within? Where do you turn when it all gets too much and you feel like you could just freak from the pressure?
Well, you need Jesus with you all the time. You need to make contact with Him though prayer every day. Tell Him what confuses you and find friends who will really be there for you. Check out your local church and Christian youth group. Stay connected to Christian fellowship.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Not every kid in that group is "for real" either, but you do have a better chance of hooking up with some genuine friends. You just might find some friends that don’t talk behind your back, or worse still, rag on you to your face. Then again, there are imposters everywhere in life and those kids aren’t perfect either. God is still working on us all.
So, what does a basically normal, striving-to-be-well-adjusted teenager do? Again I say, go to the source – Jesus who waits with baited breath for your love and worship. Give Jesus a chance and see if He isn’t everything He claims to be.
Know that Jesus doesn’t want to condemn you or make you feel like a failure. He does want you to see your need for Him though. We all mess up sometimes. Show me someone who has never lied, or swiped a few extra of something, or gossiped about others, or gone too far with the opposite sex, or any myriad of things and I’ll show you a mannequin. There isn’t any one of us that can claim to be continually walking in the light besides Jesus Christ. No one can do the right thing 24/7. So you’ll have to resist that prideful part of you that doesn’t want to admit mistakes and tell Him just what you have done in the past and ask for His forgiveness. Pour your heart out to the most compassionate man who ever walked the earth. He can renew you and fill you with his Holy Spirit.
A lot of teens blow the whole religion thing off. They figure that’s for the older generation. But don’t wait till later to find your destiny and purpose. Don’t miss today’s opportunities because you’re too busy to see them or too proud to search for them. Seek the Lord and all He has for you, just as you are. He will slowly guide you down paths that cleanse and restore your spirit. He is the only one who will love you and understand you unconditionally.
In Ephesians 5:16-17(NLT), it says, "So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict."
And that’s why you need Jesus in your heart to talk to and to listen to – so you can make the right choices.
And, I have one other suggestion, try welcoming that new kid who looks lost and dorky. You know he’s got to be suffering with the way he sticks out, being all alone and with no one to befriend him. You may be the only one all day who tries to help him feel acceptance. He might even become a true friend. (Read this month’s article, ‘Where Eagles Soar’, and realize the kind of person you could be missing out on just because he doesn’t look cool and probably isn’t.) At the very least, you can do as Christ commanded in Matthew 25:40 (NLT), "And the King will tell them, I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me."
* * *
If you need a best friend, I highly recommend Jesus Christ our Lord. He will teach you how to be kind and how to cope.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toni Smothers is a child of God, wife, mom, grandmother, writer and lay-speaker. She has had serious exposure to the rougher side of life and from that experience has been left with a heart full of love for others who struggle with learning about our beautiful Savior. Through her writing, Toni delights in helping young people especially, who are seeking to find a true, intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father. You can write to Toni through the Your Letters page of this magazine.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
This took Guts (although it shouldn't have)
This is absolutely great ! ! !
A Pastor with GUTS!
Thought you might enjoy this interesting
prayer given in Kansas at
the opening session of their Senate. It seems
prayer still upsets some
people.. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open
the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is
what they heard:
Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask
your forgiveness and to seek your direction and
guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those
who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we
have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed
our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it
the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it
welfare..
We have killed our unborn and called it
choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it
justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our
children and called it building self esteem....
We have abused power and called it
politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions
and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and
pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values
of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts
today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Amen!
The response was immediate. A number of
legislators walked out during the prayer in
protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian
Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than
5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls
responding negatively. The church is now receiving
international requests for copies of this prayer
from India , Africa and Korea .
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on
his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,'and
received a larger response to this program than any
other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep
over our nation and wholeheartedly become our
desire so that we again can be called 'one nation
under God.'
If possible, please pass this prayer on to
your friends.... 'If you don't stand for something,
you will fall for everything.'
Think about this: If you forward this
prayer to everyone on your
e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be
heard by the world.
This is absolutely great ! ! !
A Pastor with GUTS!
Thought you might enjoy this interesting
prayer given in Kansas at
the opening session of their Senate. It seems
prayer still upsets some
people.. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open
the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is
what they heard:
Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask
your forgiveness and to seek your direction and
guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those
who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we
have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed
our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it
the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it
welfare..
We have killed our unborn and called it
choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it
justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our
children and called it building self esteem....
We have abused power and called it
politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions
and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and
pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values
of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts
today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Amen!
The response was immediate. A number of
legislators walked out during the prayer in
protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian
Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than
5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls
responding negatively. The church is now receiving
international requests for copies of this prayer
from India , Africa and Korea .
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on
his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,'and
received a larger response to this program than any
other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep
over our nation and wholeheartedly become our
desire so that we again can be called 'one nation
under God.'
If possible, please pass this prayer on to
your friends.... 'If you don't stand for something,
you will fall for everything.'
Think about this: If you forward this
prayer to everyone on your
e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be
heard by the world.
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