no more underestimating the lord!

anyone else out there underestimate god much? i do. all the time. am i proud of that? no, but it's the reality of my life. a reality i am hoping to change.

here's the truth: ALL things are possible with jesus. from here on out, i have decided that i'm going to believe the reality that there's not a single thing that god cannot accomplish in and through me as long as i am submitted to him. a big claim? maybe, but i serve a big god!

i am so sick and tired of claiming, "i can't, lord" or "not me," and i'm pretty sure he's tired of it too. god is extremely patient with me, but i don't want to be like the corinthians who just weren't growing and maturing like they should have been. i want to grow and learn. i don't want to be stuck on the same lesson over and over. that is never fun.

check out what jesus had to say about our lives. he claimed that we would do greater things than he did. are you serious? greater things than jesus? yep. totally serious. check it out for yourself. john 14:12. this was followed up with the assurance that god really does answer our prayers.

so if god said that we would do greater things than he did, why isn't it happening? maybe because we're not willing or we don't really believe it could be true? i want to be one who says, "here i am, lord. send me." where's he going to "send me"? right now, he has me in my home, at my workplace, and in my church. daily life, people. that is where god has me, and your life is where he has you. how does he want to use us? to bring glory to himself and to draw people into relationship with him. those are pretty amazing tasks, but we have a pretty amazing god.

i challenge you to make yourself available to the lord this next month and see what he does. i know he'll do above and beyond. anyone with me?

disclaimer: this is NOT going to be easy. in fact, it is quite likely that it will be rather challenging and often times not fun. however, we are not doing any of this alone. we have the holy spirit living inside of us.

question to consider

what sets me apart from non-christians in a way that would make them want what i have?

no "christianese" answers allowed. what do people really want? do i have it? how do i share that? these are questions i am currently pondering...

thoughts, ideas, comments? i want to hear them all.

a jesus and lisa life

so this season of life is very much a season of "jesus and lisa." what exactly do i mean by that? well, i guess what i mean is that i feel like this is a time where jesus has me in a position where i'm almost required to go to him. also a time where i'm learning more what it means to be "in the world but not of it." i'm more "in the world" than ever before in a lot of ways, and i know god wants to use me where he has me. duh. otherwise he would put me elswhere...but at the same time i need to refrain from becoming like the world. honestly, it's a good place to be. realistically, it's not always easy to see that it's a good place to be. why? because i'm human, and god's ways are higher than mine. however, god is gracious, and i know that he is more than willing to keep me in this place until i truly grasp that he is good and actually place my hope in him. god is gracious, incredibly gracious. currently, i'm actually ok with it being me and jesus time. who else would i rather have time with? there's no one better than the god of the universe, right? my blog's getting long, so i'll be done for now. life is crazy, but god is faithful. so, so faithful!

clarification from jesus...

when you set aside some time to seek the lord, he seems to show up. at least that was my experience today. i knew that i needed to spend time with jesus. i knew that i needed to hear from him, but it wasn't happening. so i decided to read my bible. if i can't hear from god by listening maybe i can hear by reading his word? those were my thoughts. honestly, i didn't really feel like i was going to get too much out of it, and i didn't really want to read more than one day's worth of reading, but i decided it was time for that self-discipline i keep talking about. i've been behind in the "one year bible reading" for quite some time now. i've been reading my bible throughout the year, but i missed some days here and there and got behind a bit. i decided today was the day to make some progress with that. i said, "lord, i'm not hearing you, and i don't know how to make that happen, but i'm going to get in your word. speak to me if you want." guess what? he actually said some pretty cool stuff and gave me some clarity on things. check it out:

surrender-it's a choice. it's saying "i'm done going my own way, i'm ready to follow you, lord."

god's love is not like my love that is so conditional and self-serving so much of the time. his love is unconditional and self-sacrificing.

god's not up in heaven sitting on his throne distracted by a football game not hearing my cries. god is right here waiting excitedly to hear me pour out my heart to him. he really cares.

god fully understands me because he is the one who created me. he is the one who made all the intricacies of my personality so he knows them all. i never surprise the lord, and he always gets me even when i don't understand myself.

all the things i go through in my life, experiences i have, situations i am in, etc. are like tools god is adding to my "ministry tool kit." these things are purposeful. god knows what he's doing, and he's not taking me through things without a reason.

when people use people, it's out of hope for selfish gain, but when god uses people, he does it out of the selfless desire to allow us to do what he made us to do. god created me to know and love him and to know and love others. when he uses me, he is allowing me to do what is most fulfilling. he created us with the capacity and desire to be used by him. that is when life is the most worth living--when we are allowing the lord to use us.

god is pretty amazing. i should listen more closely, more often.

realizations from this week.

1. i make a lot of messes, all the time, every day.
2. in and of myself, i am super selfish and self-centered.
3. god's grace is limitless.
4. everything in this life is temporary.
5. compared to a lot of people, my life is absolutely amazing and i should have nothing to complain about, yet i am not nearly thankful enough.
6. my hope needs to be in jesus.
7. i'm not in control of my life, and when i try to be, it's not a good situation.

those are some very tangible life lessons this week. my conclusion? i need jesus. a lot.

life...

life. it doesn't usually make sense. that's what god's for. not to make it all make sense but to be in control even when things are crazy, hard, and don't make any sense. i need my jesus. i used to think god's job was to make sure i grasped what was going on in my world...so not the case. god's job is to be by my side even when it doesn't make sense. he's the one who walks me through it.

questions.

ever feel like everything you say is the wrong thing at the wrong time? that's my life lately. it's like i keep saying stuff then wondering why. what was i thinking? that whole deal. fun times, right? it's like just stop talking, lisa. sometimes it would be better that way and a lot less messy. why oh why does my little tongue get me in such seemingly big messes? i hate it. as does everyone else around me i'm sure. i'm really feeling like i'm grasping hold of the fact that on my own, there's not a lot i am capable of aside from making messes. i need jesus to do anything constructive. another question i've been pondering--why can't i just live my life without constantly analyzing it? actually multiple people in my life have asked me this question lately. another reason to consider it. why can't i just practice the whole walking by faith and not by sight thing? why do i know the truth yet not seem to grasp it practically? another area where jesus has to intervene. life without jesus is just a big mess. i need jesus at the center or else it all falls apart.

i know what i want.

1) a heart that is surrendered to the lord and that fully belongs to him
2) child-like faith to really believe that the lord is able to do what seems impossible
3) a life submitted to jesus christ

this is my wish list for jesus. i can't make any of this happen. i'm done trying. i need jesus to make it happen. do what it takes, lord.

"in need"

in need of grace
in need of love,
in need of mercy raining down
from high above.

in need of strength
in need of peace,
in need of things
that only you can give to me.

in need of christ
the perfect lamb,
my refuge strong
the great i am.

this is my song,
my humble plea:
i am your child
i am in need.

i need jesus. a lot. i can't. he can. he's willing to give. am i willing to receive? lord, get me to a place where i'm willing to take all you want me to have. i love how the lord forgives in an instant. wow. his grace is seriously amazing.

[promise]

isaiah 49:23b
"those who hopefully wait for me will not be put to shame."

jesus--he's faithful and true.

lord, help me to trust you with all that i am. even when my life is crazy, seemingly complicated, and beyond my comprehension, it's in your hands and you know and fully understand all that's going on. even more than knowing, you care and are deeply invested. wow. it's hard to believe, but i know it's true. you love me so much, lord. please help me to cooperate with all you wanna do. i wanna be your faithful servant who seeks you first and allows all these things to be added unto me. lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on you. i love you, lord. you are good.

done with neutral.

no more walking the line. i am so over being miss neutrality. jesus calls us to be either hot or cold; he's not down with the whole lukewarm thing. lately i have spent some time thinking about how i can actively be a witness of jesus to those around me. i have come to the conclusion that this may require me to say something at some point. (duh, right?) i woke up today and purposed in my heart that i am over the whole neutral gig. my identity is in christ, and i plan to be who he created me to be--like it or not. does this give me a license to do and say whatever i please? of course not! it gives me the freedom to step out in faith, be who he made me to be, and to turn around when i get out of line. the dangerous thing about being me is that people won't be like, "oh, lisa, she's a nice person." being bold and being me means that some people will love me and some people will hate me. oh well. my identity is hidden in christ, not in the opinions of men. of course, as far as it depends on me, i plan to live at peace with people, but when there's a conflict of interest between god and people, i have to go with god. so yes. this is my decision, and there shall be no turning back. will this be easy? of course not. it will definitely be difficult and shall require perserverance and endurance. my hope is in the lord, and his word says that if my hope is in him, i will not be disappointed!!

god not people...

people are never the answer. i think i finally got this through my little head. praise the lord for that!! it's been awhile in the making...god can for sure use people in radical ways, but that's the key--it's GOD using people. in and of themselves, people can never provide you with what you're looking for. along the same lines, in and of myself i have absolutely nothing to offer to you or anybody else. i simply don't have what it takes in and of myself to meet the smallest need; however, with the lord, i have all that i need for life and godliness. that includes loving and serving you. gotta love the lord.

whose understanding?

proverbs 3:5-6 "trust in the lord with all your heart. lean not on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight."

thought for the day: why do i spend so much of my time trying to gain understanding if i'm not supposed to lean on that anyway? that makes absolutely no sense! what i need is revelation from the lord, not my own ideas.

my current life verse: 1 corinthians 2:1-5 "and when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of god. for i determined to know nothing among you except jesus christ, and him crucified. i was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of god."

there's a lot i don't know right now about pretty much every area of my life: work, people, living situations, life in general. however, the one thing i do know is jesus! he is steadfast and immovable. his word is true.

life...

lessons i'm learning: life's not all about having everything figured out or understanding all things happening in my life or in the lives of those around me. life is so much better than that. it's all about trusting the lord, seeking his face, and following after him. that's it. life in short--trusting jesus and going with it. think about it...there's a lot of freedom in that kind of life. no need to over-analyze everything, no need to know, no need to even understand. all you have to do is "trust in the lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight." who doesn't want that kind of life? i'll take it! is it easy? no. good? definitely!

my god is good, and each and every day i'm alive is a gift from him. "this is the day the lord has made, i will rejoice and be glad in it." life, it's not about me and it's not for me. my life is for the lord and for others. everytime god blesses people, he desires that they turn around and use that blessing to bless others. man, if i can only incorporate these truths into my daily lifestyle. that would be a life worth living. lord, i can't do this, but with you ALL things are possible!

trust...

"trust me." this is what i hear jesus saying a lot lately. "trust me, lisa." even when i don't get it, perhaps especially then. even when it's hard. even when i don't like it. "just trust." i know that i know that god is faithful and i can choose to trust. here i am, making the decision...i wanna trust you, lord. when i'm in constant communication with him, it's easier to do. help me to do that...i wanna pray without ceasing. god, i am stoked to see what you wanna do this month. i love new beginnings. august here we come! one day at a time...