Eyes of Clarity

John 12:26 “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” In all honesty, I had no idea what the Lord was attempting to convey to me through this verse as I read it for the first time, the second time, and even the third time. Even after prayer and meditation, still I was left dry and without words. Then the Lord told me to read Hebrews, which is something He has been urging me to do for a quite a while. Immediately, I was drawn to Hebrews 12:10-11 which says, “…but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Discipline has been a reoccurring theme for me during these past few weeks, whether it be from being disobedient or simply from not wanting to do what has been asked of me. Being rebuked is something I have nev

1 Corinthians 12:14-15 “ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.” Simply spoken, even when we feel as though we do not belong, that does not mean we are allowed to quit. Each one of us has a vitally important role in the body of Christ, just as the foot plays a vitally important role to the body. Without the foot, the body would be off balance and we would not be able to walk. Without the ability to walk, how would the will of God be fulfilled? It wouldn’t. Similarly, we must be willing to submit to the calling the Lord has placed on our lives without being quick to reject it. His plan is perfect, and even if it is something we are not accustomed to, if it is in His will, it will pan out for our good and His glory. I despised the majority of my time as a nurses aide, and looking back, I realize now that I was relying on stre

Romans 15:1 “We who are strong ought to bear with the fallings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” Hebrews 6:10 reminds us, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Our God is faithful to His promises, rewarding those who are humble, who become weak to win the weak, who bear the burden, and who love selflessly. However, we as humans are deceiving as we do almost everything to benefit ourselves in one way or another. Especially when it comes to others, helping someone can sometimes quickly become a personal gain that we use to make ourselves seem superior to the one whom we are helping. However, we are called to love others the way in which Christ has loved us, selflessly. To love selflessly is to humble ourselves and love without gain, bearing the burden of another simply to encourage them in their battle and allow them to recognize that they are not alone. Life is difficult as

Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” To be free in Christ does not mean that we can use our freedom to continue in sin. Yes, Christ’s love is abundant and His grace is sufficient for when we do fall short, but when we surrender our lives we must understand that change is inevitable. As Pastor Mike conveys in his presentation of the potter and the clay, when we surrender our lives, Christ is then able to center us in His perfect will and begin the process of removing the “gunk.” This is the most difficult part because pain and suffering comes with letting go of those things we hold on to that we do not want brought to the surface. However, being honest with God regarding the things we are struggling with is a key component in allowing Him to change us from the inside out, but it begins with us. He is only able to do as much as we allow Him to. Will we surren

1 Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” In this scenario, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians regarding how he uses his freedom for the sake of saving others. To win as many souls as possible, he must be adaptable to any circumstance, submitting to the role he must fit into to minister to those in need. Christ meets us where we are at, which means we must meet others where they are at, too. Everyone’s walk with the Lord is different, and as disciples we must learn to minister to others in a way and a manner that they will be capable of receiving. This does not mean we are belittling, or even bettering ourselves in any way, it simply means that we must become what someone needs for the sake of Christ. Philippians 2:3 says, “…in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” When we value others

Ephesians 5:21 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Christ calls us to submit to one another out of respect for Him, but often times we ignore this because, well, why should we have to submit to those level with us? Submitting to those around us not only helps with making rational group decisions, but it also can help solve conflict in a more hearty manner. Being recently placed in our teams, every one of us will soon learn to humble ourselves in a way that will help us grow individually as well as with each other. It is not easy to work with people which whom have severely different personalities, as we have already begun to experience. Although our personalities may differ, one aspect of our lives must always remain the same and that is Christ at the center. If we lose Christ at the center, we will lose the ability to submit ourselves to one another and falling apart will become inevitable. However, with Christ as our focus, we are able to practice love, and with

Hebrews 13:17 “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” Romans 13:2-3 states, “The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.” Regardless of how we may feel about leadership in any particular circumstance, we must remain obedient because when we are disobedient, we are falling short of the Word of God. Sometimes, as followers, we can be ignorant towards the position that leadership has and what that title actually means. Leaders are not only responsible for those who are under them, but they also must ensure that they are always setting an example that is parallel to the Word of God. We only see what those in authority choose to display,

Ephesians 6:1 & Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”/“Children, obey your parents            in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” Although often times, children do not agree with their parents or the standards they have set in place, the Lord has given them a role in which to raise the next generation to live a life for Him. Being a parent requires a healthy balance of His love, discipline, and of course, patience. However, this balance is almost never displayed in the manner in which it should be because despite contrary belief, parents are not perfect and like everyone else, they fall short of the Holy Spirit. Regardless of how well they do in raising their children, making mistakes is inevitable because though they may be wonderful parents, they are still sinners. In this generation especially, christian parents are constantly being blamed for the way their children behave even when it was the child’s choice to fall away. The L

Romans 6:16 “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”  Slaves. Most people cringe at this word because they do not want to be owned by something or someone. However, what most people are not aware of is that they are slaves to their sin, which has complete and total ownership of everything that they are. But, where there is fault, there is always redemption. Jesus Christ brought hope to the hopeless so that they might be free, free indeed, from the chains that they are unable to break free from on their own. To be a slave for Jesus is to be a servant and I would much rather be a servant for the Lord than be under the ownership of the things of this world. Before coming to IGNITE, my fire flared vibrantly for everything other than God. I made it to church every Wednesday and every other Sunday - I worked ev

Acts 5:29 “Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” Peter is referring to the high priest who is accusing the apostles of teaching the word of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem when He specifically ordered them not to. Peter follows this rebuke with, “We must obey God rather than human beings!” There is only One in which we are to obey fully, and He is the Man who bled and died. Regardless of how mighty someone is placed in the world, the Lord knows everyone for who they are, sinners in need of a savior. Everyone has their alcohol, even those in authority. How can we obey authority that sins? Romans 13:1 says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.” Everyone submits to someone because without authority, there is no order, and without order, there is chaos. However, there is a difference between godly authority and worldly authority. The difference is godly authority

Hebrews 5:8 “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered." Even Jesus walked in obedience. No man goes without it, even the most High. Obedience is something we are taught by authority, but more often than not it is learned by the hardships we suffer through. Jesus, as perfect as He was, understood that in the world, He was just as tempted as everyone else. He needed His Father to stay faithful in His path of obedience. If Jesus needed God, how much more do we need Him? We as christians are just as fallen as the world we live in, the only difference is we have the abundant grace of God, even when we are undeserving. How truthful the statement sinners saved by grace actually is. God knows we are not perfect, in which case John 3:16 reminds us, “He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God sent His Son to save us from ourselves because He knew that we needed a savior, we needed grace. His grace covers

Psalm 17:15 “As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” I will be vindicated, I will be free.  When the Lord is our focus, He is able to begin His work of molding us into His likeness. However, this process of being molded more like Christ takes time, work, and it is almost always painful. Like the clay, we tend to fight the Lord at first because it hurts. We are hesitant to surrender the very aspects of our pasts that keep us distant from the One who so desperately wants to save us from our lives of utter destruction. However, once the clay understands the relationship it has with the Potter, it begins to become centered, allowing the Potter to do as He pleases without resisting. Why did the Lord create us to be such resistant beings? If only we truly realized what the Lord wanted to do in our lives, we would not be as reluctant to agree. Of course He is going to take away and of course it is going to hurt

Philippians 4:11 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” What a blessing it must have been for Paul to be able to write these very words to the Philippians. To be so completely and utterly in love with the Lord that regardless of the circumstances, He remained all that Paul needed. Philippians 3:7 says, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” When we focus all of our attention on Christ, we realize that He is the only One who can truly fill the void that leaves us so empty. However, it is not until we reach a point of complete surrender that we find complete freedom in Christ. With freedom comes contentment because we are fully aware that nothing in this world can take away the one thing that keeps us whole: Jesus Christ. John 3:16 reminds us that, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that wh

Hebrews 13:5 “ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” The Lord is always faithful to provide us with the means we need to make it through. Pastor Mike once said “keep me dependent on you, Lord” because when we have an abundance of any one thing, we come to a state of independence and we push God to the side because we feel as though we no longer need Him. Yet, when trials and tribulations come our way, we cry out to God as if He has left us when in reality, we have left Him. God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” God never leaves us, we simply replace Him because we feel as though the world can offer us something more valuable, Did God not send His only son to die for our sins? Nothing is more valuable than the love of Christ. To live with the mindset that God is in control is to be content because in those moments, we are not searching, we h

Luke 3:14 “Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely - be content with your pay.” Money, the root of all evil; but everything is evil when we are living for this world because when we crave the things of this world, the extent we will go to receive what we are seeking after can be frightening. The thought of knowing that some people would risk losing their lives for an abundance of something that has no eternal value is actually mind blowing, but at the same time, it is no surprise. We find comfort in having more than we need because when we do not have enough, circumstances become uneasy while worry becomes easy. Luke 12:28-31 says, “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” The pagan world runs after all such

1 Timothy 6:6-8 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” To be content in the Lord and the promises He has made for His people is to be content in this life because this life without Jesus brings forth nothing. The world is incapable of offering us anything of eternal value and attempting to fill a void only the Father can fill only leaves us empty and craving something or someone more. I always found it strange that I knew He was the only One who was able to release me from my chains of grief and misery but I still sought the infatuation of my fleshly desires instead of seeking Him. I wanted attention from the world, from people who were perfectly content in orchestrating my downfall. Even if I was not receiving good attention, I was still receiving attention. This, in turn, began the reoccurring cycle of pain and suffering due to the s

Hebrews 6:12 “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Walking with the Lord is a daily pleasure. We do not become saved to ask for His Spirit once and never ask again. We must ask Him to fill us now, and when this now is over, the next now. We need Him in every moment of every hour of every day. However, when we do not have our hearts completely fixed on Him, we are quick to fall victim to the deception of the evil one, the world, and our flesh. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and I know that the moment I lift my eyes from Him is the moment in which I become lazy. Lazy meaning my time of prayer and reading His word lessens until it becomes non existent. This is when I stop earnestly seeking Him and back slide into myself because, as the Lord reminds us in Genesis 4:7, “if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door.” My walk is not as strong as I would like it to be and bec

Revelation 1:9 “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” As I read this verse, at first I was entirely confused. However, when I saw the word companion, I thought about our class, IGNITE class 14. As individuals, we can only bear our burden on our own for so long before it becomes too heavy, in which God has given us brothers and sisters for us to bear our burdens with. Without these companions, how would any of us have the strength to carry on? Of course, the Lord gives us His strength in our time of need to persevere, but encouragement from the ones closest to us is always a special blessing. As Pastor Jordan said, sometimes all we need to know is that someone has been before where we find ourselves now. To have someone say to us, “I have been there before, and I know it is hard, it is so hard. But, we are going to get throug

Colossians 1:11 “…being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…” To be strengthened with His power, having endurance and patience, is to be steadfast and even satisfied during any situation, regardless of what the outcome may be. James 3 says, “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance,” so we understand that if God is testing us, He is growing us. How can God grow us if we are never tested? How can God grow us if we never choose Him? We choose our friends just as we choose the Lord and it is through this decision to choose Him everyday that we can allow His Spirit to enter into our lives so that our lives may become His. When we give our lives to Jesus, we can be joyful because of what He has promised us: eternal life. When we fully begin to rely on this truth, we can truly experience the power of His wholesome love and we can be filled with joy in knowing that He is in control. I

Luke 21:19 “Stand firm, and you will win life.” Ephesians 6:11-17 explains that we must put on the full armor of God, standing firm in the truth in which we receive from His Word. In His truth, we can be confident that His promises are true and that regardless of what happens in this life, heaven is eternal. The Lord is always faithful to His people and there have been countless times in my life where I needed to rely on this truth and I did not, resulting in an overwhelming flood of emotions that if I had only given it to the Lord, probably would not have ended the way in which it did. As an adult, anger has been my biggest barrier from standing firm and winning battles. When trials and tribulations arise, my anger does too. I do not even give myself a chance to breathe before I become heated about something that is usually solved within a couple of minutes anyways and even when it is not, everything always works out. It is not until after the trial that I look back and realize

Luke 8:11-15 “This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the Word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Perseverance. This word means something different to all of us even though the definition remains the same. To have Godly perseverance, we must have a seed uprooted in the Word of God that can flourish, growing stronger in times of testing. To me, perseverance is simply ma

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  To live wise is to live a life completely reliant on the Lord, having a firm foundation on His word. Especially in times of doubt and despair, rely on the truth because anything other is an opportunity for fleshly desires to take over. However, as quick as we are to sin, He is just as quick to forgive, as Nehemiah 9:17 reminds us, “But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.” Being more indulged in the Word, I am beginning to understand God in an entirely new way and instead of resisting Him, I am learning to embrace Him. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet. A light on my path.” A lamp is only capable of lighting up a room, and a light, only a few feet. By following the Word of truth, the only ste

2 Corinthians 1:12 “Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on world wisdom but on God’s grace.” 2 Corinthians is Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth. These particular verses are stating how Paul and Timothy have conducted themselves in the world in a way that is glorifying to the Lord and especially in their relationship with people of the church.  Galatians 5:24 says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” To operate in such a way that is glorifying to the Lord, we must continuously die to ourself every moment of everyday. To accomplish such a task, we must rely on the grace of God because if we rely on the world, we will fall right back into the desires of our flesh, a hole that we just so desperately and continuously seek our way out of. Romans 12:2-3 says, “Do n

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” God will give us the wisdom we ask for but it is our responsibility to apply that wisdom to our life. How foolish are we to ask for something that we will not use? I guess I am a complete fool because I do this all the time. Regardless, God still gives His wisdom generously knowing very well who will use it and who will not. Not entirely understanding the full context of wisdom, I would always ask God to grant me His wisdom before going into a shift at work. I now realize that asking for it did absolutely nothing for me because I was not being filled with the Holy Spirit first. How can the Lord grant me what I ask when I am not seeking Him to begin with? Working as a CNA in three very different settings was one of my most challenging tribulations as it pushed me to the brink of anger management classes and through it all, I did it in my own

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” To fear the Lord is to have an understanding that He has a greater understanding. I once had it explained to me that to fear the Lord is similar to a parent telling a child not to touch a hot stove. At first, the child might believe that the parent is being unfair but when the child disobeys, they encounter the consequence of having a burnt body part. From then on, the child will, hopefully, be more willing to listen, not because they are afraid, but because they realize that the parent had a greater understanding in what the outcome would be. Fear of the Lord is very similar to this scenario. It is believing that He knows what is best for us because He loves us so much so and following His commandments even when they seem unjust because He knows the consequences that follow each sin we commit. When we love someone, their endurance o

James 3:13-17 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthy, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is fist of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. In fact, I have almost all of these verses underlined and as I sit here and pray about what to write, the question that comes to mind is how does one inherit wisdom from God? For one, by asking, but also, by reading and studying His Word. When I apply the knowledge from what I have studied to my life, I become wise in Christ. The verse that speaks to me