Confession and a Bulldozer

So a subject that has been on my mind a lot lately is confession.  Mainly for how it keeps the road more clear between me and God.  It allows me to be in better communion with Him and hear Him more speaking in my life. 

This concept of confession did not dawn on me till just in the last couple years.  That confession is the key to the bulldozer that clears out the garbage between me and God. I'm not perfect at it all the time, but I do see as I take time daily to reflect and lay in front of God the things that come to me where I had a bad attitude toward someone or got impatient or selfish, the road of communication becomes more clear.

The Bible tells us there are times when some people have been so full of sin that God fails to hear them.  Now I'm not sure that it refers to the literal sense of hearing or more that God does not give them what they want because their hearts aren't right with Him. They don't confess and repent, they just want relief from their suffering. 

• Isaiah 59:1-2 - "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
  nor his ear too dull to hear.
   But your iniquities have separated
  you from your God;
  your sins have hidden his face from you,
  so that he will not hear." NIV

David in psalms also talks about his state before confession to God and what God did when he did confess.

• Psalms 32:3-5 - "When I kept silent,
  my bones wasted away
  through my groaning all day long.
   For day and night
  your hand was heavy on me;
  my strength was sapped
  as in the heat of summer.
   Then I acknowledged my sin to you
  and did not cover up my iniquity.
  I said, “I will confess
  my transgressions to the Lord.”
  And you forgave
  the guilt of my sin."NIV

The beautiful thing about God is if we confess, He forgives us and cleanses us from everything! 

•  1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" NIV 

And when we do this, His eyes are on us and He hears us!

•  1 Peter 3:12 - "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
  and his ears are attentive to their prayer,....." NIV

 I know this is a lot of verses but such an important key to our communication with God and having it healthy and working right.

God wants to show us and teach us sooooooo much! Why not take the time every day to ask God to reveal to us what we should confess. Then God can get out the bulldozer of forgiveness clear the path and cleans us opening better communication. Wouldn't we all benefit from hearing God more in our life?  You have only sins to lose and forgiveness and whole lot of awesome to gain! :)

Titanic, Wake Up!

So I have recently been contemplating our world.  All the pain and suffering and death and brutality.  Our world is a huge mess.  On some days I think a lot of us say to ourselves "what is this world coming to?" (Kinda sound a little old reading that back to myself) :) But lets face it, its true, right?  Some day's I feel like we are on the Titanic.

Well, honestly we are aren't we?  Jesus even tells His disciples the end of time and the world as we know it was going to come to and end. Jesus told them the world was going to get worse before He comes back again.

• Mark 13:7-8 - "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains" NIV

These terrible events we are seeing more and more in the news, are signs that the end of time is coming. This ship is going down.  This earth full of sin is getting more and more wicked and people care less and less for each other.  This is the result of sin in the world.

To some this idea may be a little extreme, but I challenge you to read the Bible and look for yourself about what Jesus says.  Ask the Holy Spirit give you discernment on these things.  And I know He will.

Time is running short.  And just like the people on the Titanic so many of us are Asleep!  Even many Christians are Asleep!  We have taken comfort in our 1st world countries and all of the conveniences of life, and let them become idols and lull our brains and hearts to sleep!  We don't even know how to hear God anymore.

I am as much to blame for falling asleep for years. I went to church feeling I was doing fine because at least I did my best to do good.  But my heart was dead.  I had no life in it.  I still was thinking only of my selfish desires in this world and never really able to find any kind of meaning or peace in my life.  I would vacillate between feeling emptiness, fear, anxiety, and depression.  There was always this thought, "I'm supposed to be happy because I'm a Christian" but inside, I was completely apathetic. I tried to use the worlds momentary things try and fill the God sized hole in my heart.  It never worked.  Mean while, everyone around me is perishing and getting sucked in too.

I'm not perfect and won't be till heaven, but I'm happy to say God is waking me up!  So I'm pleading with you!  Wake up!  This ship is going down!  How many horrible things in this world have to happen before we see that we don't have much time left.  Do we wait till people start getting beheaded in our country before we do something?  In our state?  In our town?!  Do we not see that we need to get serious about our walk with God!

God is calling us and pleading with us!  Even as Paul does to the Ephesians.

• Ephesians 5:14 - "   This is why it is said:
  “Wake up, sleeper,
  rise from the dead,
  and Christ will shine on you.”NIV

Revelation also speaks of waking up and what happens if we don't.

• Revelation 3:2-3 -  "Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.
   Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you" NIV

Jesus even gives a parable about this as well of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.

Will We open our eyes?!  Will we see the signs right in front of us? Or will we, especially us a professed 1st world Christians, sit in our high level comfy cabins say "Oh, We're fine there is nothing wrong."  as the water is at our door and our neighbors are drowning!

Again, I know to some of you this may seem extreme. But again I challenge you.  If you claim to be a Christian, when will you get serious about your walk with God? I mean serious.  Like pressed in to Jesus seeking Him night and day.  God does not call us to live "all things in moderation."  God calls us to be SOLD OUT, FULL THROTTLE, ALL IN for Him EVERY DAY!

When will we fully surrender to Him and focus on Him rather than our ipads, phones, tv's , and video games, selfishness, other peoples opinions about us, etc..... you fill in the blank.  If we keep our heads buried in these things, and not turn our eyes and hearts toward God, we will drowned and go down with the ship!

God is knocking at our hearts, I know some of you feel it.  Don't ignore it!  God is calling you! Wake up! Surrender to Him and let Him into your Heart! Focus on Jesus and let Him transform you and the people in your life for Him! Before it's too late.

I pray for everyone that is reading this that your heart is stirred and you have the courage to wake up and surrender, All IN for Jesus our Loving Lord and Savior, to reach the world for HIM!  Amen!