Holy Spirit Nudge

Do you get those nudges that tell you, "Hey you're going off that narrow path again."? Well for the longest time I didn't. I was already off the path and hard-hearted enough that I no longer heard from God or felt any nudge. My sights were all for me and every bit of my energy was being wasted on what I wanted. I only felt a nudge when my wife was doing the nudging! It usually takes a lot for her to nudge too.
I said "no" to the Holy Spirit enough times to where He didn't respond to my off 'pathness'. Now I welcome His correction. To know He loves me enough, that He want me to change, is awesome!
I've signed up for Facebook and MySpace recently and I am hooked! I can check up on people all the time, do the little games they have, trivia, send notes, send gag gifts, and all sorts of fun stuff. Well my wife tells me that when I get involved in something I go overboard. I do! I did. Hence the nudging. Well I'm being nudged right now so I'll end this.
Listen to the nudging before you don't hear or feel Him anymore.

Men and God

Last night I went to a men's study group. It is every 1st and 3rd Thursday. The leader of the group is the men's ministry leader for our church and is a great guy. Let me tell you about him. His name is Bryan and I first met him at his old church during a men's retreat. Soon after he started attending our church. His testimony tells of how God saved his marriage and changed him to become somebody easier to live with. He started a men's group in his home and most of the men were from his old church. Every time I went to it I was blessed and somebody needed ministry. Sometimes guys gave their hearts to the Lord. Other times men had problems in their marriage. Yet other times somebody in their family died or was really sick. It seemed like every time during a meeting that a hurting person would just start sharing their problems. His group is so comforting you felt like you could share anything. After a while the men's leader gave up his role and Bryan was chosen. I was so happy to hear he was taking over. He has such a heart for helping men become who they were suppose to be.

Back to the study group. He was teaching from the book of James and the power of our tongues. The tongue can bless and the tongue can hurt. Our discussion stemed from that idea. We shared bad things our tongues said and good things. We also shared the things others said to us. It was really cool because God kept giving me specific examples to share. I also shared how we need to be encouraging. We see and talk to people everyday and the only time we say anything is when they do something wrong. We make them feel worse than they already do. If we would just say one good sentence to them they might cheer up or feel appreciated. We need to be like Jesus. He would see somebody just standing around like one of the 12 or Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree. Then he would treat them like anybody else and invite them to join him or to dinner. He never criticized them for their job or sins. We need to be like Jesus. See the good stuff in a person then tell them about it.

Blog Party!

You're invited!! Yes you can go to a Blog Party and check out all the members of the Assembly of God Blog. Click on the icon to the right and join in. You don't have to be an Assembly of God member to go to the party but if you want to join the blog ring, you do.
You can find Christians that believe like you and want to share their walk and encourage you.
All across the world are church members. Why not have them come to a place where they can find answers to life's problems, encouragement in knowing somebody messed up just like you, devotions to keep you on the right track, a funny story to pick up your day and make you smile, and so many other things that a Christian soul needs from other Christians.
The owner of the Assembly of God Blog Ring is Sharon Snavely. She is from a small town in Indiana and is a pastor's wife with three children. This is her dream and you can help build upon it.
So at least click on the party icon to the right and check it out. We all need variety in our church. Think of the variety we can have here...
WAIT A MINUTE!!! I didn't mention there are prizes!!! Yeah free stuff. Like good free stuff! You have to put the icon on your blog, write one post about it, and sign the list and you're in the drawing for many good, no really good prizes. You are reading this right? That means I could get one of those prizes!! Wait if you join the party my chances go down on winning something. Hey, if you win we got to share it OK?

Selfish Update

I posted earlier about God revealing the selfishness in my heart. I have to update that now. I had found that the cause of selfishness is from man thinking and not God thinking.
Well I've tried it and have had some great results. In fact the family I almost hindered from growing spiritually is the one I did some God thinking with. I actually thought like a man and realized that it was wrong. So, the only other choice I had left was to think like God. So, I did. I looked at the situation and saw an impossible mountain to climb for one family on their own and I asked myself what does God want here? God wants the impossible to be possible and He wants us to continue on as if the situation has already been taken care of. He wants us to walk in faith with confidence that He is doing what He said He would do.
I am very pleased to say God gave me the words to say and the scriptures to back up His plan. They believed in those words and have already blessed people from them. Also, they are taking a giant leap forward in their faith to do what God has called them to do even when the way seems insurmountable.
I also have been hearing God's still small voice once again. I have been walking in faith and stepping out to do things I had thought were too risky instead of not doing them at all. Is that not what the enemy of our soul wants from us? To be safe and sound and not do anything for God? Action not Words. That was a Def Leppard song. A rock band got it right. I think we can too.