Walking slow, but sure

February 25, 2009 John 1:1-18, Psalm 1, Genesis 18: 23-33

Today is the first day of the Lenten Season. It usually is a time of reflection for me with the Lord, but this year it is going to be very hard to me to do, since I am struggling with my faith and trying to understand a loss of a friendship. I know from past experiences that focusing on the Lord will do me good. I just know it is going to be a very hard at times both physical and emotional because I will be focusing and allowing God to work within me. At this point in time, I am just so confused about various things that I don't know what direction to take. I will just have to take it day by day, and believe that Lord with strengthen me on this journey I am taking. I have to be honest to say that the loss of a friendship, which I took to be very special has rocked my faith to the core in a manner that I have been struggling with my faith ever since.

John 1:1-18

The Eternal Word

John 1: 1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

I Believe Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, existed with God and was God. I believe Jesus created everything there is.

It is amazing and wonderful that Jesus was and is the life and light for man. Many of us have walked in the darkness, wondering if we will ever see the light. Jesus is the Eternal Word, which the Book of John clearly states that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God”


John’s Witness: The True Light

John 1: 6-13

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

I sometimes ponder upon John's duty to be the scout for the Lord, that was to come. John's life must have been very hard, living frugally as well as always being focused on the eyes of God, so that way he might complete his task that the Father God gave him. I wonder if I could have been able to be so focused. At times just focusing on reading my Bible everyday can be hard.


John went forth to be a witness for the Lord that was coming. Could I be more like John during this Lenten Season. During the following days of Lenten, will I have the strength to proclaim the Glory of Jesus and what He did so we might live? At this point of time, as I write this, I have to say “No, I don't have the strength” I know it is in my heart and soul that I want to, I yearn to, but it is my flesh that gets in the way at this point. As I walk these 40 days with Jesus, I will learn how to set aside the flesh of my body and allow God to work with the spirit of my soul.

I will try to keep the gift of Salvation on the front part of my mind and heart, as I walk, and try to be come like John the Baptist. I have recently have been pushing the comfort envelope in regards to spreading the Gospel. I am very much a shy person, so I do not have the daring speaking voice of Billy Graham or John the Baptist, yet I do try to lay down pathways to the Lord by creative ways of sharing the Gospel.

I have written Salvation Scriptures on post it notes, along with a encouraging sticker and left them around the places I go, when I am running errands for the office I work at. It is a step for me, as well as maybe a huge step for someone who finds it in their time of need. The world is so filled with pain and confusion that, many lost people are in need of a Saviour. The world needs Jesus.

I will focus on become more like John the Baptist

The Word Becomes Flesh

John 1:14-17

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

I have been given the right to become a child of God because I have believed Jesus and accepted him as my Lord and Savior. It is a gift that was freely given and freely accepted.

My mind at times can't wrap around the fact that Jesus would love us so much, that he would leave his throne in Heaven, so that we might not walk in darkness, but come to Him and receive his gift of Salvation and walk in the light with Him.

I believe that Jesus, as God the Father's only son, became human to reveal God's glory to humanity and to save us from our sinful nature.

I have benefited from the rich and gracious blessings brought by the acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

Psalm 1

I am reflecting on Psalm 1 during my walk with Jesus this Lenten Season. Psalm 1 is a reflection of a person to walk a more righteous path, and only with our Saviour, Jesus, are we going to be able to achieve that status and build a more loving relationship with the Father God.

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

I do not follow and will not take the advice of the wicked or ungodly individuals or join in with them.

Walking the Christian walk can be very hard at times. It means not associating with unbelievers, in order to remain focused and clear of any back sliding. I know as a strong believer myself, that I have to be very careful about those I hang out with, because they are the gateway to sin for me. They might lead me astray in ways that I do not want to go in, but are lead that way due to my poor ability to take action and walk away. I always has to remember to be very picky about where I allow myself, both mentally and physical go in this world.

Remember that in Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Being a Christian, might be hard and lonely, but I must always remember that I am walking on the right path. On the path with God.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

I will enjoy a fruitful life with the Lord because I delight in the Lord's word and I will obey Him

I find myself delighting in the Word of the Lord, because it is filled with Light and hope. Always in times of great joy or in times of great trouble, I have always found my heart skipping along the verses of the Word that comforts, refreshed and renews me. The Word of the Lord is like living water, it always quenches the thirsty soul.

3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Walking with the Lord and following His Word is life giving all to partake in it. It always gives when it is needed, and never steals. Faith might be very hard at times, but it is because in order to bear “good” fruit takes work, and God wants us to make sure we know, in times of stress or hardship, He has not stepped aside to allow us to wither, but to learn how to become stronger in the windstorms of Life.

4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Even thought I might see the wicked and the ungodly prosper in some way or another, it is not of God and I must always remember it will not last, because what is not of God will not last. Only God is unchanging.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

I must remember that God will separate the goats from the sheep, and will not allow the ungodly and the sinners to have a place among this children. God will only recognize the ones that have recognized His only Son, Jesus as Savior, and Lord. We are made righteous in God's sight by the blood of Jesus, who washes away all sin.

6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

I have reassurance that God knows everything that happens to me, even though this world I live in might not recognize the wrongs done to me. God watches out for my pathways and makes them clear, as long as I walk along with him. If I would stray from God's side, my walk might become hard and burdensome, in a manner, which only God could relieve Jesus has said in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” I know that only by allowing God to work with me and within me, am I able to be released of any burden I might carry with me.

During this 40 day walk with Jesus, I hope to remember that only when I step away from God, do I lose that blessing of rest and release from the World

Genesis 18:23-33 (Prayer)

Abraham asked to God if He would destroy the righteous with the wicked even if there was only 50 righteous people within the city of Sodom. In response, God said he would not. Abraham asked until he got down to only 10 righteous people within that horrible town that God wanted to destroy. May I always be reminded of Abraham and his intercession of the those that have fallen away from God's path. May I also always be reminded that as a child of God, I must be intercessor for my family and friends that are in need. It is my power of prayer and my title as a Child of God that allows me to sit before the Throne of God, and share my concerns for those that I love.

Abraham was bold in asking God. He had no fear, but confidence in that the Lord would hear him. It is all I can do, is be confident as a Child of God that the Lord will hear and answer, in His own time. I must always remember that Jesus said in John 16:23-24 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

All I have to remember is to ask and share with My father and He will provide.

Today the focus is to be witness more like John the Baptist, be more focused on God and his ways like that person in Psalm 1, and be bold in prayer to my Father, like Abraham.

I am praying for My mother, that she might seek Jesus and find Salvation, for my friend, K, who might turn back toward that Lord and walk with him, and for my friend, P, who in her grief, knows and feels the loving hands of the Father hugging her in her time of need.

Tomorrow I will be reading John 1:19-34 (Word) Psalm 2 (Praise) and Daniel 9:4-19 (Prayer)

God bless

The countdown

Today is the last day before Lent. To Catholics it is known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, in which a person indulges in all the wonderful things that they will be giving up. Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) is well know to all, in which people seep themselves into decadent things such as food and other Earthly pleasures.

Even thought I am no longer a practicing Catholic and have walked away from those beliefs, the practice of observing Lent is something I have retained from my old life. Lent has always been a time for deep reflection of my relationship with God and how Jesus suffered, died and arose so I might have life.

Growing up, I knew of Jesus. As most Catholics, we focused more of the crucified Christ, then the arisen one. Why is that? I don't rightly know, but I just know that within my Catholic upbringing, we focused on Jesus on the Cross and less of the arisen one. I am not saying it is right or wrong. I am just saying that it showed how I outwardly looked at things. As a Catholic I focused on pain and suffering, where as a Born Again Christian, I now focus more upon the freedom of pain and suffering because Jesus arose!

My favorite lyrics as of late, are the ones from the Hope song in the Easter Carol.

There is nothing left to fear
nothing Heaven knows
For he died for us to give us life
and to give us hope He rose

Those words really hit me deep when I think about them. “For He died for us to give us life” and “To give us hope, He rose” Those words could not express more deeply that wonderful statement.

That is the reason why for the next 40 days I will be reflecting my relationship with Jesus, while I read the Book of John and various Psalms, as well as various prayers in the Bible. I will focused on the deeper meaning of Walking with Christ and how it affects my life and how I see things around me. As I have been quite morose lately, I think this walk will be a joyful one at times, and hopeful I will be able to surpass any depression or loneliness that I have been feeling. My focus at this point in time is just one day at a time. I know that is all God asks of me.

This walk that I am going to be partaking is not one that I am easily doing at this time, due to my recent heartache, but I know it will be for the best, as it will allow me to move closer to God, set my priorities right with Him as well as allow me to see more clearly on what God's plan is in my life. (I hope!)

Also during this time I will focus on a couple of my friends in prayer at this time, so that I might reach out an help them in some way. I pray for various people everyday, but at times, praying for my friends can be sidelined due to how I am feeling at times. It is typical to be human like that, but I want to do what I can.

I ordered 3 books the other day that I will be trying to read at the same time during my 40 days of Lent. Of course, I won't get them until probably next week, but I still want to make an effort to read, reflect and learn from this walk.

I ordered:

1. The Love Dare

I read somewhere online that reading this book might be very good to do during the Lenten season. Of course, I have my druthers about doing so, since I am currently single, but it was not my choice, so anything regarding love is very irritating to my heart due to the feelings I still have for him. But then again, Lenten isn't about my person gain in the prospects of love, but the path way that Jesus walked so I might be free. It is about His ultimate love for us as humans and how He wanted us to have life with His Father, God. I thought by reading the Love Dare, it will show me a deeper meaning of Jesus' love for us and how I might learn to love the people around me better then I do.

2. The Crucifixion of Jesus, Second Edition, Completely Revised and Expanded: A Forensic Inquiry

I think I had a book like this long time ago, which I always read during the Lenten Season because it really made me focus on the crucifixion in a way that I needed to understand it. Being raised Catholic, the religion glorified the crucifixion in everything, but they really failed to make it known how powerful, how horrible and how life changing something like a crucifixion is. By reading this book, all-cleaned up-lovely-for-Hollywood-looks were torn apart and I could truly understand what my Saviour wen through. I borrowed it out to another Born Again Christian to share with his father and I never got it back. So it is either this book or A Doctor at Calvary The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ that I once owned.

Of course, I haven't seen the Passion of the Christ yet, but I do own it. I bought it last year to watch Friday before Easter, but I was not up to at the time, so it still sits in its wrapped up package. I might watch it this year.

3. A Doctor at Calvary The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

If the book I once had is this one and not the other one “The Crucifixion of Jesus, Second Edition, Completely Revised and Expanded: A Forensic Inquiry” I can remember what the cover looked like, but either of the newest books I ordered had the same cover. I am hoping that I owned the first Edition to the book “The crucifixion of Jesus”. Only when I open the book and start reading it, will I know if it is or not.

Tomorrow I will be reading and focusing on John 1:1-18 (Word), Psalm 1(Praise) and Abraham’s Intercession for Sodom & Gomorrah Genesis 18:23-33 (Prayer)

Lately, I have been fighting with myself about reading my Bible and believing in God's promises, due to my minor setback in my life. I hope that by reading and reflecting each day what God has put before me, that sense of doubt in God and where I want to be in His ultimate plan will be settled and at peace for once for a while. I know that by doing this, I can only prosper from soaking my heart and soul in the Word and help me gain the confidence I once had in God. A lot of thing have happened in order to shake my faith, but I know the foundation of God in my life are still strong, because I placed my faith and love on the Rock.

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” -Psalm 18:2

I am just feeling unsteady because I don't understand the things that are happening around me so therefore, I am fearful of the uncertainty of it all. I hope that also at the end of this 2009 Lenten Season that I have found myself stronger and more confident in the Lord, as well as learned how to repair and strengthen my relationship with my family and friends. As well as learn to let go of those dear friendships that are no more.

“In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”-Psalm 62:7

In all, I know I will learn how to trust in God more then I have in the last couple months, and learn to give all my problems to Him (and not snatch them back out of fear of them not being fixed or that He isn't pay enough attention to my needs). May this Lenten Season teach me more then just walking close to God, but to have more patience in His planning in my life. I think that this walk is going to be a rough one for me right now, because I really don't want to do it, but the deeper part of me, knows I have to do it, because my heart still yearns to be by my Father's side, no matter how hurt I am right now.

Tomorrow is going to be the first couple steps toward the miles of a long journey. At least I know I will be in good company during the journey. I know God will be patient with my grumpiness, and stubborn attitude I might develop during this long walk.

God bless,