time – S.A.I.L.

Surrender? (Next Steps/Resources)

I should probably explain “Surrender.”

YOUR LIFE IS NOT WHAT YOU WANTED OR EXPECTED

First you realize your life isn’t happening the way you anticipated: you’ve been “let down,” or you’ve let others down, there’s a feeling of pain, suffering, disappointment, hurt, guilt, shame, or lack of enjoyment in life and you simply want those feelings to “go away!” You tried to solve this by: escaping from reality (numbing through alcohol or drugs), keeping busy with work so there is no extra time, moving from place to place to try a new venue, accumulating wealth or material things, avoiding people in general, isolation, or having shallow relationships with people to keep from being hurt, going from one relationship to another hoping to solve the problem, making plans to fill every moment of your day so there is no extra time, health and fitness focus (while this is good, excessively done it can be “an escape”) or travel (exploring the world), doing something to “keep busy” all the time. While some of these things are not necessarily “bad,” when they are done in excess, they keep you “busy,” keep you busy from “healing” because you are avoiding the real underlying problem. I say this from my own personal experience. Ultimately, feeling like this is the result of a distant relationship with God. Maybe you know “of” Him, you may have the “head” knowledge but you are not close to Him (you don’t “trust/love/obey” Him); you haven’t “surrendered” or received the Holy Spirit yet. You have this longing for something that remains unfulfilled. After you’ve tried some, or all of the things mentioned above, there remains an emptiness, a loneliness and you don’t know what else to do so you may ask yourself: “Is this all there is to life?” “Is this what life is like forever?”

SURRENDER

If you are fortunate, sometime during this process (above), you hear about “surrendering” it all to God (either through a church or a friend, or maybe even someone online) asking God for forgiveness of your sin, trusting in what Jesus did for you on the cross (enabling you to have access to God’s kingdom; the only way) and asking for the Holy Spirit to guide your life so you don’t go back to sin, but continue seeking God AND can enter God’s Kingdom. Since nothing else was solving the “emptiness” you feel, you decide to give it a try so you say a “surrender prayer.” But then what?

If you’re simply repeating words someone told you to say; if it’s not heartfelt, please understand these are not “magical words” so don’t expect anything to change.

But, the good news is if you understood what you were asking, affirming and requesting and were sincere when you prayed to God, it will happen (eventually) because God will guide you, but this still involves your participation. This isn’t an instantaneous event. There’s a lot to get to know about God. When you form a relationship with someone, you don’t truly know them instantaneously; it takes time. The same is true with God; He reveals more as you seek Him.

NEXT STEPS

PRAY: Pray as often as possible. The Bible actually says “pray without ceasing.” This is our communication with God. How can you grow a relationship with someone or know someone if you rarely talk to them? (You won’t truly know a friend (God), you’ll end up distant from a friend (God)- you’ll end up where you started: unfulfilled.) Pray before you go to bed; thank God for the good things that happened that day, ask Him for help with the trouble. In the morning, ask Him to guide. And throughout the day, instead of going to anyone else, talk to God about it first.

READ THE BIBLE: So how do you get to know God more? The best way is through reading and studying the Bible (daily) because it is the Holy Spirit inspired word of God. Try a chapter a day, make a plan, read a little bit every day- directly from the bible. Get to know how the bible is organized: “The Bible is a library, not a book.” Here is a video to watch about this: YouTube video link If you don’t have a Bible yet, download a free one at this YouVersion Bible App If you want to get really deep into studying the Bible use this website: BlueLetterBible link If you want a hard copy study bible, this is an excellent resource because it features the most often asked questions and answers: hard copy Bible link Many people start with devotionals or books written by Christian Authors and while those are good and have a place and a purpose, they are a further step away from the Holy Spirit’s inspired words found only in the Bible. There is something supernatural that comes from reading the actual Bible. The Holy Spirit will enlighten a person with wisdom and understanding the more often you are actually reading the Word of God (the Bible). Think about this: how diluted do you want the content to be? If you’re going to read something, get as close to the original source as possible: the Bible. You will miss out on so much if you don’t read the actual Bible.

FIND A CHURCH: There are many changes happening in churches today unfortunately, some are not adhering to the Bible teachings; they want to please everyone so they selectively choose the truth found in scripture to suit what the people want to hear and they omit parts that people don’t want to hear. The Bible warns us about this: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3 Because of this, I believe it is most important to read the Bible first and know what the Bible says. If you go to a church, pay attention to this: are they reading directly from scripture and speaking from scripture? Double check what they say with the Bible because I’ve come across churches that are doing what 2 Timothy 4:3 mentions. During the past 5 years (after reading the entire bible in 2019) I have been continually seeking God, so I made a playlist of videos I watched or listened to that align with what the Bible teaches. This is a resource/playlist of videos that I still add to as I listen and find something “helpful” and in agreement with the bible. Listening to these will keep you busy, filling your mind with God for “years!” (Here’s the YouTube Playlist link: Seeking God; Biblical Knowledge Resources) Joining an online church might be the best solution if you don’t find a church nearby teaching truth. I’m hesitant to recommend a church not knowing if their teaching has changed since I last watched online. Within the playlist link, there are several different churches’ videos, so you will find some churches through the videos in that link. Those are the specific teachings that align with the Bible.

SEEK OUT GODLY FRIENDS: Join a bible based study group, get to know other people who want a relationship with God. As I said before, especially if you are new to reading the bible, find a study group who uses the Bible so you can grow in faith. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17 Besides studying the word of God, the friends you make as you do this will be a source of strength, support, encouragement and celebrations.

RESOURCE- BOOK RECOMMENDATION: First and most importantly, read the Bible, but there are some helpful books that pull together numerous sections of the Bible, aggregating information on a specific topic (from the 40 different authors who wrote the books found in the Bible and inspired from the same Spirit) so these types of books (outside of the Bible) are helpful bringing together the “hidden gems” you will find throughout while reading the Bible.

Because receiving the Holy Spirit (after you believe) is necessary to be in God’s Kingdom, this following book is worth reading and is an excellent resource to better understand “receiving the Holy Spirit” and more. Remember: Jesus answered (Nicodemus), “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5.

“Who is the Holy Spirit?” Experiencing God’s power by Nancy Taylor & Philip Ryken (click here to buy this book on Amazon)

These “next steps” are what I found when I was seeking, I didn’t have a mentor guiding me to this, so that is what I mean when I said that “God will (eventually) lead you to these things” like He did me, but I also think because I didn’t have a mentor may be why it took me so many years from initially seeking to receiving the Holy Spirit (5 years!) I may have received the Holy Spirit sooner if I had done these “next steps” more quickly? It took me 3 years after I surrendered (although I realize now, I hadn’t 100% surrendered at that time) to actually read the Bible, and then another 2 years after that before I saw evidence of having received the Holy Spirit. This was when I fully surrendered, 100%, and was baptized in 2021. There is a significant difference in me today compared to me in 2017 and the Holy Spirit is the only one who made this happen! Take the next steps to make this happen in 2025 if you haven’t already; it will be worth it!

December 30, 2024 by annm2705 Categories: bible study, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, FRIENDSHIP, GOALS, God, HAPPINESS, Healing, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, prayer, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, TRAVEL, WellnessTags: alcohol, Bible, Book Recommendation, busy, Church, disappointment, drugs, escape, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, focus, FRIENDS, fulfillment, GOALS, God, God's Kingdom, GRATITUDE, guilt, HAPPINESS, Holy Spirit, hurt, INSPIRATION, Jesus, longing, pain, POSITIVITY, pray, problems, RELATIONSHIPS, Resources, shame, suffering, surrender, time 1 Comment

Time, Talent and Treasure (2025 Goal Setting)

There are only a few more days of 2024, then the calendar rolls to 2025. So what will next year be like? What’s in store? And most importantly it’s time to think about: what can I do with what I’ve been given? How will I make what I have grow?

TIME

Time is limited here on earth, there is a “time for everything”, time is a God given “resource” that isn’t replenished, once it passes, it’s gone; so how we spend our time is important. The Book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon was given both great wisdom and wealth and wrote about “time.” His conclusion is this:

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil. – Ecclesiastes 12:13 written ~970-930 BC

The Book of Ecclesiastes has valuable insights we can apply to our own life, it’s a quick read, only 12 brief chapters. Here is a link to chapter 1: Ecclesiastes 1

Jesus reminded his disciple, John, of this “reward” in the vision when Jesus appeared to him on the island of Patmos after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus said:

“Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”- Revelation 22:12-13 written ~90 – 96 AD

Every year of life we are given by God has a purpose; seek Him (pray to God) to understand the purpose He has for us; don’t waste time while living because we will be rewarded according to what we have done. God gave us free will to choose what we want to do with our time, but the wisdom is knowing that God ultimately gives us: what we choose. He allows us to choose evil rather than good, or good rather than evil, and one day we will get the “reward” for this (good or bad). So be intentional with choices; understand what the future holds and plan for this today.

TALENT

Each of us is created uniquely and gifted by God with a distinct personality, talent, ability, skill, etc. How are we using that talent we’ve been given (for God’s kingdom ultimately)? If we CHOOSE (of our own free will) to ask God for the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will start to change us so that we love what God loves and hate what God hates. (Yes God actually hates 7 things: here’s the list.) Once we willingly agree to “surrender” to God’s will (here is the surrender prayer Jesus taught), if we ask for the Holy Spirit, we will receive. The Holy Spirit gives us “gifts” as He determines what we are ready for, so these are God given spiritual talents. We know from Paul that these spiritual talents (gifts) are given for the following reason:

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. – 1 Corinthians 12:7

In other words, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of others.

The Use of Spiritual Gifts

1Now about the spiritual gifts [the special endowments given by the Holy Spirit], brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were led off after speechless idols; however you were led off [whether by impulse or habit]. 3Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the [power and influence of the] Spirit of God can say, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is [my] Lord,” except by [the power and influence of] the Holy Spirit.

4Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers]. 5And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served]. 6And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them]. 7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good. 8To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit; 9to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit; 10and to another the working of [a]miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues. 11All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.

12For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so [b]it is with Christ. 13For by one [Holy] Spirit we were all baptized into one body, [spiritually transformed–united together] whether Jews or Greeks (Gentiles), slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit [since the same Holy Spirit fills each life].

14For the [human] body does not consist of one part, but of many [limbs and organs]. 15If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body? 16If the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body? 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole [body] were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But now [as things really are], God has placed and arranged the parts in the body, each one of them, just as He willed and saw fit [with the best balance of function]. 19If they all were a single organ, where would [the rest of] the body be? 20But now [as things really are] there are many parts [different limbs and organs], but a single body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22But quite the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are [absolutely] necessary; 23and as for those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, these we treat with greater honor; and our less presentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24while our more presentable parts do not require it. But God has combined the [whole] body, giving greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25so that there would be no division or discord in the body [that is, lack of adaptation of the parts to each other], but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. 26And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it.

27Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function]. 28So God has appointed and placed in the church [for His own use]: first apostles [chosen by Christ], second prophets [those who foretell the future, those who speak a new message from God to the people], third teachers, then those who work miracles, then those with the gifts of healings, the helpers, the administrators, and speakers in various kinds of [unknown] tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31But earnestly desire and strive for the greater gifts [if acquiring them is going to be your goal].

And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one of the choicest graces and the highest of them all: unselfish love].

[a] 10 I.e. wonderful events or occurrences beyond human capability which manifest the supernatural power of God and fulfill His purpose.
[b] 12 Lit is Christ. – 1 Corinthians 12 (Amplified Version)

Jesus told this story also:

Parable of the Talents

14“For it is just like a man who was about to take a journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his possessions. 15To one he gave five [b]talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and then he went on his journey. 16The one who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he [made a profit and] gained five more. 17Likewise the one who had two [made a profit and] gained two more. 18But the one who had received the one went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19“Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20And the one who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted to me five talents. See, I have [made a profit and] gained five more talents.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’

22“Also the one who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have [made a profit and] gained two more talents.’ 23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’

24“The one who had received one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a harsh and demanding man, reaping [the harvest] where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25So I was afraid [to lose the talent], and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is your own.’

26“But his master answered him, ‘You wicked, lazy servant, you knew that I reap [the harvest] where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter seed. 27Then you ought to have put my money with the bankers, and at my return I would have received my money back with interest. 28So take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

29“For to everyone who has [and values his blessings and gifts from God, and has used them wisely], more will be given, and [he will be richly supplied so that] he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have [because he has ignored or disregarded his blessings and gifts from God], even what he does have will be taken away. 30And throw out the worthless servant into the outer darkness; in that place [of grief and torment] there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger]. Matthew 25 (Amplified version)

TREASURE

God gives wealth to some, He gave it to Solomon, He gave it Job, but just like “talents” and other gifts of the Holy Spirit, wealth is a resource, to be used for the benefit of others. When we have a healthy relationship with wealth, it will be used for the good of others. But if we love wealth more than God, it will lead us into evil. (For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Not money itself, but the love of it more than God. Here is a link to this topic in scripture.) This truth is the same for the gifts of the Spirit: if we don’t use the gifts properly for others and use it selfishly for our own benefit, it will lead us into evil. Gifts and wealth are “resources” to be used for a purpose and nothing more than that. Job is aware of this when he says:

Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I will return.

The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing. – Job 1: 20-22

This first chapter of the Book of Job is insightful: (link)

Jesus gave this example:

The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it. Matthew 13: 44-46

Reading these verses again today, this stood out: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Treasure (when we discover it, we will give all we have to keep it) but also The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Merchant (a person) looking for “fine pearls” – God’s children (believers) are the “fine pearls” and Jesus is like the Merchant who gave his life (all he had) to “purchase” us (by Jesus’ death on the cross) from evil.

No greater love is this than for someone to give his life for another. – 1 John 15:13

God is looking for believers who love Him back. Jesus said this:

Treasures in Heaven
(Luke 12:32–34)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21

Jesus also said this:

I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:9-13

As we roll into 2025: What are your plans for the Time, Talents and Treasure God has given you?

I pray for abundant blessings to you, from God, for all who read and take this post to heart truly seek God’s will and purpose! Happy New Year!

December 27, 2024 by annm2705 Categories: bible study, FAITH, FAMILY, GOALS, God, Improvement, Make It Count, prayer, priorities, RELATIONSHIPSTags: 2025, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDS, GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, GOALS, God, heaven, INSPIRATION, Jesus, money, PEARLS, prayer, purpose, RELATIONSHIPS, REWARD, REWARDS, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, TALENT, time, TREASURE, wealth, wisdom 4 Comments

Predicting the Future

Who doesn’t desire knowledge regarding the future? Isn’t “the future” often the subject matter discussed at many conferences? If we learn about the future we feel more comfortable, have more certainty, or do we?

Have you ever been disappointed, expecting more than you received?

If you answered “Yes,” this could be the reality once again, if we don’t prepare for the future. The greatest, most valuable and limited resource we have is TIME.

We anticipate life returning to “normal” in the future. But if we truly return to “normal” then we will miss an opportunity. Hopefully we DON’T return to “normal” but instead return to “better.” We all know setbacks are opportunities for improving; there is always a lesson learned. Did we use this time to become better? To improve what we do? To improve ourselves? Did we learn anything?

Time is all of this: certain, yet uncertain and limited. Our time is limited by God. Our time is uncertain: we don’t know when our time will end or why the time will be chosen, but we know the time is set by God for the purpose He intends. Our time is certain because it will end someday; we can’t delay or eliminate that fact by ignoring it or expecting it won’t happen for a long time.

Isn’t it better to first become prepared, then be able to relax and enjoy life? Any anxiety will go away, if we prepare in advance.

The only way to overcome fear is to face it, then replace it.

This current experience we are having may be a test of our faith and trust in God. Going forward, we can lose fear and anxiety if we replace our fear with trust in God. God is love and there is no fear in love.

What we are experiencing right may have a greater purpose so if we haven’t felt this already, maybe it’s time to make “obedience” to God a real commitment? surrender to God: placing God first as our priority, then doing our best each and every day, obeying Him, giving up things that may seem “fun” to us, but are sinful according to God, obeying the 10 Commandments and avoiding what God hates:

These are undoubtedly tough rules/commands to follow for most of us, but they are fact and we have been warned. The choice is personal. No person has the right to judge another person, judgement is God’s right, not ours. All sin is equally bad in God’s eyes, so none of us can think we are better than another. We all sin in some way. Those who say they don’t aren’t being honest. God knows the intent inside each of us, and that is what will ultimately matter in our future.

The future has been predicted. The prediction is in the Bible. There will be an end; there will be judgement. The choice is ours and our time left is unknown (even to the angels).

The positive message from this: if we keep God’s commands, we can avoid God’s wrath. Don’t delay.

April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 by annm2705 Categories: Careers, Entertainment, entrepreneur, Face Fear, FAITH, Improvement, Make It Count, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: challenges, future, Improvement, life, MAKEITCOUNT, opportunity, reality, setback, time 2 Comments