Thursday, June 23, 2005

Are You where God Wants you to be? Who's your Master?

Moving my posted from my Live Journal over to blogger.

Are you where God wants you to be? Who's Your Master?
There are people who blame and there are those who complain.

The blamers are the ones who blame everyone else for their circumstances.
The complainers are the ones who focus on things, people, places outside of themselves, ignoring their circumstances and placing a higher priority on criticizing others. As long as they are talking about someone else, they have no time to concern themselves with their own faults, vices, inadequacies and deficiencies. It's much easier to direct negative energy in someone else's direction than facing our own issues.

The reason for this is those folks aren't where they are supposed to be.
More often than not, when we are complaining and blaming, we are not doing what is in our heart to do. Discontentment leads to bitterness, resentment and rebellion. Anger and sinful acts usually follow.

Most of us are mad at others and angry about life in general because we are not walking in our God given gifts and talents. The sad part about it is, we don't know that that is what the problem is. It's like buying a pair of shoes that don't really fit. They were'nt the right ones for us when we tried them on, but for some reason, be it the look, price or how we were feeling at that time, we purchased them anyway, only to find out that if it hurt us when we bought them, they would truly hurt us later.


Pastor Gaylon Foreman of Carver Park Baptist Church, Waco, Tx in Bible study last night said, "the devil wants to tempt you to get you into a situation or circumstances to hurt yourself." He tricks you into hurting yourself. You make up corny excuses like , "Oh, If I smoke, I gotta die of something..."I enjoy smoking"..."Everybody's got some hang-up" and the list goes on.

The devil wants to you rationalize or as Dave Roberts used to say, "Ration-lies" the lie and make it truth. What have we fallen prey to? The lie! When you submit to the lie you live by the lie.
When you make lies and deception truth, you then live by that truth.

Ask yourself how many decisions you've made simply because you told yourself a lie and made it the truth? What was the outcome? Was it joy, peace, contentment? Or was it fear, pride, or uncertainty?

If you find yourself blaming and complaining, check out if you are really where God wants you to be. You may be closer to your answer. If you are blaming and complaining, look at yourself first, before you lay charges on someone or something that's causing discomfort in your life. Sometimes God puts a thorn in our side as a wake-up call to redirect our attention back to ourselves and away from others. He wants our attention on Him so He can help us.

Many times we have the answers to many of life's toughest questions when we ask ourselves one simple question, which is, "Will this thought, action or deed bring God glory or me glory?" What ever answer you honestly give yourself will reveal who your master is. John MacArthur, author of Strength for Today daily readings for a deeper faith, said, "whoever is your master, will be who you serve."

What master are you serving today?


Prayer: Father, guard my tongue and guard my heart. Help me to be aware of the life and death I may be speaking. Help me be sensitive to You when You are trying to get my attention. Bridle my tongue and give me the humility to see me. I thank You in advance for showing me myself. I pray that my life reflects one where it is obvious You are my Master. I pray that if I am unaware of my gifts and talents that You reveal them to me and I walk in them. I thank you for peace in my life. In Jesus' name,

Amen

Additional Scripture reading: Romans 8:28, Isaiah 26:3, and Proverbs 3:5-6