I’ve noticed that it is very hard to keep on task:
Not just for me but for many others as well. Even teenagers that know what they have been asked and yet for some reason it is difficult to follow through. It seems we are in the time of great distraction.
Everywhere we look out in the world it is becoming increasingly difficult to find trustworthy sources, and the media, legit is like a high promoting propaganda machine. I am able to tell that most of what is spoken about is highly bias and skewed one way or another. It is very difficult to find “just the facts” jounalist but there are a few.
Anyway, this isn’t a political post but the climate of the media and the amount of distraction being promoted to focus people to this way or that and not to see this or that is a major tactic of the enemy of our souls. God has been talking to His people. He has given us our “marching orders” for this time of history, this season, even this day. Are you doing it? Or are you distracted?
Strengthen your spirit!
We cannot do what God has called us to do if we won’t do the basics to keep up our strength.
WATER – Worship
FOOD – Bible Reading
SUN – Prayer
EXCERSICE – Act on what He says to do.
Come on – get back in the game! ~ Starla
Something that tempted me:
At the beginning of August, I listened to a video conference where the speaker asked the question:
WHAT IS YOUR BIG DREAM?
Sometimes God is asking questions, and we don’t know it….
Initially, I was drawing a blank but then as thoughts began to swirl there were a few things that popped up. One of those was a temptation masquerading as a dream. That temptation was to create an online bible study business. Now on the surface, that sounds like an awesome idea because it aligns with a passion that I have to create studies and share them. Right? Wrong!!! I’ve been around this mountain before just on a different plateau.
The reason that you can come to my blog and read without ads and pop ups all over the place is because I don’t monetize my content. I don’t take money from others to use this space to bombard you, so that I can make money off it. Now, other people may not care. But I do. I will leave a site if it is overwhelmed with stuff like that. I don’t like it, so I don’t do it.
But this time around, this mountain, it was a little more sinister with the idea of creating studies that people can download for a charge. Why not? Everyone is doing it. You need to have multiple streams of income. Maximize on everything. This world is full of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life tempting us.
But I don’t want to be like everyone. I want to be and do what Jesus asks of me. Nothing else.
Maybe it’s no big deal. But the closer I inched to launching it the worse I felt. Here is the kicker: The Word of God, the study of it, and the sharing that I do can’t be work for me – I revolt! If it becomes something that I must do because it is driven by a motive other than because I love it. I will quit! So why mess with a good thing. I follow His Spirit and study where He leads me. I don’t even have to work at it, really. He leads I follow.
All the studies I have are free and if you want to – you can donate to me for coffee.
But there is no obligation. I genuinely want people to love and understand the Word of God and to take it into their hearts where it can grow, and God can use it for His good and glory.
Coming back to this question:
How does what I do form and inform what I love?
A secondary question that has come up under this one is, “How do our habitual movements create liturgy that enforces our loves?” Liturgy is public service, worship, ceremony, or “works.”
As I have been studying in Titus 2, I think the answer to these questions came to the surface in the final entry of Titus Series – Part 2 – Zealous.
We have been called to love and good works, to be zealous for good works. Zealous is a word that means passionate pursuit. That pursuit is to be for good works. It is to be fervent in spirit – serving the Lord.
Our habits then, our routines, our liturgy creates cycles of worship. A kind of ceremony to what we love and what we love is what we will become like, either more and more like Jesus, more and more self-focused, or worse like this world and the enemy of our souls.
And what we do forms and informs and enforces that love.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Wiles: stratagem, trick, sly artifice, fraud, deception.
Be careful out there. The enemy is a sneaky beast.
New post on Substack:
I will be writing studies over on substack if you want to subscribe.
On the Hebrew calendar, today is Tu B’ AV or the 15th of AV a kind of Heavenly Valentines Day. It’s a day to be reminded of the #LoveofGod.
The nights are growing longer, and the dark is taking over the day. Fear is knocking at the door. But we turn to the one who casts out fear and is perfect love.
1 John is a great place to see truths about love.
https://starlalala77.substack.com/p/remember-the-love-of-god
Thanks for Listening,
Starla
Sunday2Monday 