Greater is He

There's nothing more refreshing than to spend time with those I care about the most. The sad thing about that is, there never seems to be enough time for or with them. The only exception to that is when I purposely take the time out for them meant only for them. I have never been more satisfied than when I spend time with my family and friends. There's just something about it that is so refreshing and fulfilling. Whether it be spending time with my four year old nephew watching him play legos; making faces and tickling my 1 year old nephew; talking with my brother and sister-in-law, or catching up with my long distance friend about life; nothing gets better than that! There was a point that my pastor made last week, about how we are all addicts. In some way, if nothing other than wanting what we want more than anything else, we are all addicts of something. It could be alcohol or drugs; coffee or caffeine; television; laziness; anything. He is an addict. You are an addict. I am an addict.

My pastor then gave us ten points that I would like to share with you to help my fellow Christians overcome any addiction: Based on the scripture 1 Corinthians 10:11-13 by Jane Hunt's Ten Truths About Temptaion

1)Stand carefully. A slippery slope is easy to find and difficult to climb up, if not impossible. What is one way to avoid it? Make sure you're standing on solid ground--in God. If we can not stand, fall on God, not into quicksand.

2)See clearly. We all have a choice; a conscious choice to make. We can tell if something is right or wrong. Which one will you choose?

3) Endure Patiently; God will not tempt you with a greater than temptation than you can handle and not provide a way out. He is faithful and will allow you to escape by making a conscious choice.

4)Run faithfully; When God provides the way of escape, we take it without hesitation! Run, run, run away; Flee the devil and he will leave you.

5)Respect liberty; God has given us the freedom to do anything, even think of anything, but just because we have the freedom doesn't mean we should take advantage of it. Just because the freedom exists, doesn't necessarily make it right.

6)Love lavishly. Enough said, but God lives in you, so love like Him! God gives us the capacity to love as He loved and we should be obedient.

7)Act Carefully. It is important for us to set a Godly example. We will answer for our actions and we should build eachother up, not causing anyone to fall by temptation of an example we have set.

8)Live purposefully. In all we do, we should do it for the glory of God. If someone makes you walk a mile, walk with him for two.

9)Engage actively. Be a delight to others.

10) Crave Eternity. Where your heart is, there your treasure will be aslo. We must set our eyes on the prize in order to finish the race. Christ already won, we just have to finish the race.

This week was based on loving out loud. Pray ernestly, show love, show hospitality, and use your spiritual gift to serve others. How is it possible to do all these things? It's definitely not by our power, but by the grace God bestows to us to do everything in His name. So I leave you with this last piece: "...He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4b Don't let the world get you down. Yes, we all have situations (including myself) that wear on us and beat down our spirit. However, I urge you-- please don't forget who you are in Christ. He loves you, because He made you just the way you are for His intended purpose. He will not leave you nor forsake you; and if a man loses a sheep, he goes after it and God does the same for you. He will find you, because He cares for you. Do not lose hope, keep running the race, keeping your eyes on God.