Day 12: Developing your Friendship With God

-
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  James 4:1-3

We now know from day 11 that God wants our friendship, so how do we develop this?  How do we get closer to God and release our ego and self-centered tendencies?

1.  Choose To Be Honest With God
God never wants to hear bits and pieces of how you feel.  He does not want feelings of how we think we should feel or act or what to say.  He is waiting for the most intense truths you can give Him.  It honors Him when we can become vulnerable with Him no matter the situation.  It could be an argument, complaint, accusation, anger, resentment, doubt, etc.  No problem is worth hiding when we are speaking with God.

2.  Choose To Obey God In Faith
There are many times where things are asked of us which we do not understand.  There are many times where we incur pains and sorrows, places and people which we do not understand.  He places us with a purpose and asks that we embrace it with our inner most love.  He enjoys seeing us lovingly doing the small things which others' may not notice we do like being kind, making someone smile, telling the truth, and making time for someone in need.  Once in a lifetime are just that--once!  The small oppurtunies mentioned above among others surround us each and every day.  Take a chance on God as He continually takes a chance on us-Do it with love & obedience!

3.  Choose To Value What God Values
True friends value what the other person values [even when it goes against their beliefs].  A friend does not have to understand how you feel or why you made a certain choice; they need to be able to respect who you are and your value behind it.  This of course does not mean letting a friend shoot up heroin or beating their child.  It still has to have value-God's value!  Respect God's choice to make you short, skinny, blue
-eyed, freckly, smart, or asian.  Know that when you cry, he cries.  When you are angry, He is angry.  Be comforted in grace and decisions which would make Him smile.

4.  Desire Friendship With God More Than Anything Else
"You are as close to God as you choose to be."   (The Purpose Driven Life, Warren pg. 61)  The great thing about any friendship is it is a choice not an accident.  We choose who to be friends with.  So start arousing those inner most pains and fight it out with God.  "Your problems are not punishment; they are wake-up calls from a loving God." (pg. 65)  Continue to ask Him for His friendship no matter the obstacles or temptations to lure you away.  What will you choose?

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."   James 4:7-10

Popular posts from this blog

2011 NPC JR NATIONALS: MissFits & Mayhem Give It Their All

-
Image
Hundreds of competitors flock to Chicago, Illinois for the 2011 NPC Junior Nationals Competition [about 30 of those competitors from Colorado].  When first getting the skinny on what was going on, only about 4-6 competitors from Colorado were called out for Top 10.  This is a huge feat as Erica Cobb pointed out "the competition is STIFF".  Erica competed in Bikini Class D with her team mates Jesse Lehman who competed Physique Class A and Lana Hofman who competed Figure Class E.  Though none of them earned their Pro Cards, they will make a comeback at the USAs in July. 10th Place Bikini Class D 7th Place Figure Class E 4th Place Physique Class A Congratulations MissFits & Mayhem on a beautiful performance.  You all worked very hard and know exactly what needs to be done to blow them out of the water in July. **Other Top 10 Colorado competitors included Alex Carneiro, his wife Katherine, and Christina Hefner
Read more

Say A Little Prayer For Me

-
Image
It was a busy day for The Gym as it began well before sunrise.  Lana Hofman, Erica Cobb, and Jesse Lehmen head to Chicago, IL with their coach, Chris Williamson, and The Gym support team to compete at NPC Junior Nationals.  Upon sending them off, Erica met me with a gleam in her eye and a huge smile.  "I just want Saturday to get here.  I'm feeling really good."  It was refreshing to see how pumped she was. What most people do not understand is this show is a qualifier for your Pro Card and by two weeks out; your body and mind are usually fighting themselves.  They ache, feel sick, mentally & physcially are drained, and sometimes fight to keep motivated.  It takes a lot for these competitors to compete let alone compete nationally.  I commend these athletes for their time commitment, their motivation even if they have a few doubts, and their willingness to be vulnerable in front of thousands of people.  They are some the strongest, most inspirational people . . . th
Read more

The Challenge: Melaleuca Sustain VS Gatorade G2 Low Calorie

-
Image
 VS   Electrolytes are the smallest of chemicals that are important for the cells in the body to function and allow the body to work. Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and others are critical in allowing cells to generate energy, maintain the stability of their walls, and to function in general. They generate electricity, contract muscles, move water and fluids within the body, and participate in myriad other activities. The concentration of electrolytes in the body is controlled by a variety of hormones, most of which are manufactured in the kidney and the adrenal glands. Sensors in specialized kidney cells monitor the amount of sodium, potassium, and water in the bloodstream. The body functions in a very narrow range of normal, and it is hormones like renin (made in the kidney), angiotensin (from the lung, brain and heart), aldosterone (from the adrenal gland), and antidiuretic hormone (from the pituitary) that keep the electrolyte balance within those normal limits. Ke
Read more