A life of balance & purpose!

Idol or Item

The following is a brief test that can help you find any hidden idols in your life.

 

1.        I can not go one day without____________________________________.

2.       I would prefer to spend most of my free-time___________________________.

3.       I think most often about____________________________________________.

4.       My 1^st hour of awake time is spent doing__________________________________.

5.       I spend most of my thinking about and researching ___________________________.

6.       What person, thing, food or idea do I have an unquenchable desire for___________________________.

7.       I sacrifice the most for _____________________________________________________________.

 

Often times we become so self-righteous and unconsciously prideful that we don’t realize the idols we have placed before God. 

 

Priscilla Shirer say’s it so well when she wrote, “Your god is what you seek.  It’s what you love, trust in, worship, serve and allow to control you.”

 

Our God is forgiving and abounding in grace.  Ask him to reveal your hidden areas, repent and make Him the priority.  Your best life depends on it!

 

Recognizing your flaws

Proverbs 10:16- The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.

 

Do your earnings enhance your life?  Usually ours does but often times I go over my bi-weekly budget and find myself frustrated for failing in this area.  I believe I have been enlightened on why this is happening.  You see, I set aside money each pay cycle that I am to use for purchasing little simple pleasures for my family.  However, more often than I care to admit, this money is used on my ‘sin’.  Lately, my sin is laziness and gluttony.  If I am too lazy to cook, I order out.  If I enjoy the food,  I may eat the same thing 3 days in a row.  This pattern takes me over our money designated for food.  In order to maintain I end up using the money God gave us to “enhance our lives” on my silly sin.  All this time, I thought I should eat out if I wanted to.  This is an arrogant and undisciplined way of thinking.

 

So, are there areas of your life that need a little more discipline?  Sin is sin, not big or little to God.  Just sin.

 

I hope this will help me to be a better steward of my blessings, turn up my spiritual sensitivity to place me in a  lifestyle of discipline and help me turn my back on laziness, gluttony & undisciplined living.

 

 

Indebted to Christ,

 

Kisha Guzman

A show of appreciation makes the heart happy!

Often times as humans we tend to neglect the people we love the most.  Although we see their efforts to make our lives easier or more enjoyable, we don’t give them the encouragement they need, the encouragement we all need.  I would like to take a moment of your time to shout praise about my closest earthly companion.

 

This person can always make me laugh with the silliest of jokes or gestures.  It’s one of the many qualities that kept me ‘coming back’ early on in our relationship.  I would ask this person to tell me the same joke, in the same moment over again…just so I could laugh one more time.  While the individual thought I was off my rockers, they’d happily oblige! 

 

I am especially attracted to this persons innate understanding of the Word of God.  Like no other, they can help me to peel away by legalistic thinking and see the beauty and pure love of our Heavenly Father.  When I see this individual being so submissive to the Heavenly Father, it makes the feminist in me shrink down and I too can serve this person; with trust, ease and gladness.

 

While growing up I’d never met anyway who knows so much about everything.  Now-a-days I often take this talent for granted.  I simply expect this individual to do good at everything.  However, since experience is the best teacher…I was given the opportunity to learn a lesson in this area.  When people expect great things from you and you deliver, high praise is still warranted.  We tend to praise the black sheep’s in our family for the little things and negate the hard work, diligence and persistence of the ‘high achiever’.  With all that being said, I’d like to say I am so proud of the hard work and accomplishments that this individual has made in their very political, corporate work environment.  They not only have to be a light for Christ but they must overcome with tact being a minority and being younger than the rest (usually by a decade)!  I know that Christ has a special hand on this individual but like the prophets in the Bible this person must still work hard.  They too were blessed and highly favored but grueling hard work did not escape them! 

 

This person is also a community servant.  While others exploit their connections for selfish gains, this person uses theirs to help the poor, homeless and less fortunate.  I am so impressed with his diligence in this area of his many callings.  This person can sense a legitimate need and knows when people are just getting over or being lazy.  When he senses a real need…he always seeks to fill it.

 

Growing up, I never saw children engaged in play and conversation with their fathers.  I’d never experienced the closeness and high level of involvement that this person delivers to their children.  It was very foreign to me at first but as I grew in my knowledge and wisdom, I can see that this quality is a thing of beauty.  A balance that is needed to help fill certain needs within the a developing child.  A great father indeed!

 

This person can read my emotional state from across a room.  They make every effort to heal my frustrations or help me see them in a positive light!  They know the beautiful and the ugly about me and they shower their love on me anyway.  Connected with our souls, we’ve overcome much adversity.  We are growing up together and we love it!  The similarities in our families is amazing.  The radical occurrences that led up to us meeting in Texas (of all places) was clearly divinely orchestrated.  Most times just being in the same vicinity of this person is enough to quiet my soul.  It is the little things that this person does that melt my heart.  The big things are icing on the cake. This person demonstrates their feelings for me in so many unique ways.  This person is another reason that I know my Heavenly Father wants the best for me!  He gave the best man in the universe to be my soul mate and life partner.

 

You may know him by Ray, Ramon, Son, Brother, Daddy, Champ but as for me I call him Boo and I will always be his Baby.

 

Note:  While he does not always agree with everything I share with the world via blog or email, he is my editor.  Obviously I couldn’t have him check my grammatical errors or wordiness for this one.  So I ask that you please excuse my little faux pas!! J

 

Indebted to Christ,

 

Nakisha 'Kisha' Guzman

"I am only one, but still I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something." Edward Everett Hale

Heaven on the mind!

The critical question for our generation-and for every generation-is this:  If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all your friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disaster, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?  From John Piper’s God is the Gospel.

How many of you will read those words and say, “ You know, I just might be okay with that”?  If you are deeply in love with God, you could never be satisfied in heaven without Christ.  From Francis Chan’s Crazy Love.

Share with others!

Don't assume you are good soil.

Has your relationship with Goad actually changed the way you live?  Do you see evidence of God’s kingdom in your life?  Or are you choking it out slowly by spending too much time, energy, money and thought on the things of this world? 

Are you satisfied being “godly enough” to get yourself to heaven, or to look good in comparison to others?  Or can you say with Paul that you “want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil. 3:10)?  Is that too much Jesus for you?

The American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity.  The goals of the American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don’t swear, and good church attendance.  Taking the words of Christ literally & seriously are rarely considered.  That’s for those “radicals” who are “unbalanced” and go “overboard”.  Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering.

Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ or his stuff?  Do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?

The Bible says to test ourselves.  The next few statements will help you do this.  Be honest, assess who you are today, not who you want to be one of those days…that day may never come.  If need be-repent & move forward with a new mind!

Lukewarm people do this:

1.       Attend church fairly regularly.  It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go.  Check yourself: Isa. 29:13

2.       Give money to charity and to the church…as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living.  If they have a little extra and it is easy & safe to give, they do so.  After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?  Check yourself: I Chron. 21:24, Like 21:1-4.

3.       Choose what is popular over what is right when they are conflict.  They desire to fit in both at church and outside the church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance & giving than what God thinks of their hearts & lives.  Check yourself: Luke 6:26, Rev. 3:1.

4.       They don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want to be saved from the penalty of their sin.  They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them.  Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful life.  Check yourself: John 10:10, Rom. 6:1-2.

5.       Are moved by stories of people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do no act.  They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones.  Luke warm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of ALL his followers.  Check yourself: Kames 1:22, James 4:17.

6.       Rarely share their faith with neighbors, coworkers or friends.  They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.  Check yourself: Matt. 10:32-33.

7.       Gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world.  They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.  Check yourself: Luke 18:11-12.

8.       Say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives.  But only a part.  They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.  Check yourself: Luke 9:57-62.

9.       Love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength.  They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; its’ only for pastors and missionaries and radicals.  Check yourself: Matt. 22:37-38.

10.   Will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money and energy they will give.  Check yourself: Luke 18:21-25.

11.   Think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation.  Rarely, if ever, do the intently consider the life to come.  Regarding this, C.S. Lewis writes, “ If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.  It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”  Check yourself: Phil. 3:18-20, Col. 3:2.

12.   Are thankful for their luxuries and comforts and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor.  They are quick to point out, “ Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only the love of money is.”  Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel “called” to minister to the rich; very few feel “called” to minister to the poor.  Check yourself: Matt. 25:34,40, Isa. 58:6-7.

13.   Do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty.  They want to do the bare minimum, to be “good enough” without it requiring too much of them.  They ask, “ How far can I go before it’s a sin instead of How can I keep myself pure as the temple of the Holy Spirit, They ask, “ How much do I have to give?” instead of “ how much can I give?”, They ask, “how much time should I spend praying and reading my Bible?” instead of “ I wish I didn’t have to work, so I could sit here and read longer!”  Check yourself: I Chron. 29:14, Matt. 13:44-46.

14.   They are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are salves to the god of control.  This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.  Check yourself: I Tim. 6:17-18, Matt. 10:28.

15.   Feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age 12, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America.  You are not safe because you wear the  label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a Christian nation.  Check yourself: Matt. 7:21, Amos 6:1.

16.   Do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.  They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens-they have their savings account.  They don’t need God to help them-they have their retirement plan in place.  They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live live-they have life figured out and mapped out.  They don’t depend on God on a daily basis-their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health.  The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.  Check yourself: Luke 12:16-21 also Hebrews 11.

17.   They probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever.  They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong.  Check yourself: Matt. 23:25-28.

This list is no all inclusive of what it means to be a Christian not is it intended to be used as ammunition to judge your fellow believers’ salvation. Instead it should be used as 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, to examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. 

Jesus ask for everything.  But we try to give Him less.  Jesus said, Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.  This isn’t a cute little analogy Jesus was using.  He is addressing those who aren’t willing to give everything, who won’t follow him all the ay.  He is saying that lukewarm, halfhearted following is useless, that it sickens out souls.  He is saying that this kind of salt is not even fit :for the manure pile.”

Wow,  How would you like to hear the Son of God say, “ You would ruin manure”?

This excerpt comes from the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  My eyes are opened further and I am only getting to Chapter 5 of 10 chapter.  Lord help us all!

Becoming grateful before it’s too late

Becoming grateful before it’s too late

In this world of give me more and give it to me now, it’s hard to remain in a state of gratefulness.  At least this has been my experience thus far.  I often leave spirit-filled women’s retreats with so much insight, refreshment, and amazement.  Only to return home and find myself slipping ever so quickly back into the mind-set of ungratefulness.  Is there a remedy?

Often times it takes tragedy like the death of family member or an email thread of a child who has just succumbed to cancer to give a person a dose of their true reality but soon after like any good medicine it wears off and we display the sickening symptoms once again.  Is there a remedy?

I suppose the best remedy lies in prayer for revelation.  The follow-up of course is action.  What actions must we take to ward off the corrupt thinking that battles our spirit by the hour?  The answer is simple; simply said that is.  Be conscious and deliberate in our praise & the acknowledgement of our blessings. 

If we spend more time thanking God for the blessings that we have, we would have less time to gossip, murmur or go into a thinking frenzy about the things we don’t.  If we settled into the fact that God’s outcomes may not look like what we envisioned our outcomes to be then maybe, just maybe we could find more peace & joy in this daily Christian walk.

I don’t write as someone who has mastered the plan but as someone who strives to live a life that God would be very pleased with; in my attempt to do so I must subject myself to lots of examination.   I am just sharing my journey with you.  If you find my sharing annoying, delete them.  If you are tired of deleting them ask me to remove you from my mailing list.  Otherwise, I will assume that you are someone who cares about what’s going on my head!

Agape---

Your will or His will be done?

Today’s inspired message comes from Colossians 1.  I am keying in on verses 9-12.  In the Amplified Version it reads:

9For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [^[a]special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the ^[b]full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [^[c]in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things—

10That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and ^[d]desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, ^[e]acquaintance, and recognition].

11[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy,

12Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the ^[f]portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light.

It’ s a reoccurring them across The Bible that many Christians neglect.  To live your best, most purposeful life; you have to know the will of God, love the heart of God, and desire to please Him above all else.  Now, I realize that some days this is a hard pill to swallow.  We’re humans (the best excuse ever, LOL), we desire to control things, make things happen in our timing & in our way, and we simply are engulfed in pursuing what we desire while praying for God’s hands to move in our situations.  For many of us the problem is that we never consulted God to begin with.

Spending time in the Word is the primary way to grow in understanding the heart, mind & will of God.  Once we begin to get understanding on what’s important in life we can begin practically applying these truths to our daily living.  Sounds easy, right?  It is when your heart is ready to receive.  For many of us understanding God’s will and practically applying it means we have to first actually READ our Bible, then we have to give up certain fleshly pleasures, it could mean we have to lose a few friends, it usually means we have to work outside of our comfort zone, and for some it might mean a total lifestyle overhaul.

It may sound burdensome but it’s not;  it’s freedom.  When you operate under the direction of God, you gain the freedom to truly live.  He makes your way easy and your troubles light (Matthew 11:30).  He gives you every good thing and adds no sorrow to it (Proverbs 10:22).  He delights in you (Psalm 37:23).  There is no greater pursuit than to pursue the heart of God.  There is no greater joy than seeing His hand work through you to help others.  There is no greater success than following His guidance and reaping the benefits.  There is no greater love than the love He offers us.  You see He sits by waiting for that moment when you will desire Him more than you desire His gifts.

If you are entangled in the worlds way of living, you can break free and begin living a life of purpose.  A life where it’s about more than your needs and your family.  Read & pray Psalm 26:2-“Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.  Test my motives and my heart”.  Take a look at your life; what consumes you?  Is it food, alcohol, TV, secular music & videos, excessive work, uncontrolled shopping…whatever it is, take time to fast from that obsession.  Instead of being consumed with it, take that time to pray, read the Word and meditate.  If you get on the path…God will meet you half way!

Until Next Time,

Nakisha Guzman

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