I Will Dioko!

In my "former life,"  I used to actually take some time for myself. (that seems like forever ago!) There was this group of "church ladies" that I would go to the beach with once a year. We had a lot of fun!  We'd bask in the sun, eat, laugh, eat, shop, eat... you get the picture. We weren't the "best" of friends, but we had a lot in common and enjoyed each others company.  I looked forward to it every year.

One year we had an extra bed so this young lady, who was twenty-something and fairly new at our church was invited to join us. She accepted. I'm not sure what she expected, but she tagged along.  On the Sunday morning of our trip the "church ladies" got up, put on swimsuits, grabbed a chair, a towel and a diet coke and headed out; just another day at the beach!  The "twenty-something" young lady walked out in a cute summer dress with Bible in hand and asked, "Who's going to church with me?"  Huh?

Well, the "church ladies" started making comments like;
"We're on vacation, you don't go to church when you're on vacation!"
"I worship just fine watching the waves roll in."
"The beach is my sanctuary! I'll worship right here."

The young lady smiled and turned to walk down the beach toward the beach-front church.  The "church ladies", they remained on the beach.  The young lady didn't ask for reasons or excuses, all she said was "Who's going to church with me?"  Why do you suppose the "church ladies" made the comments they did?  Conviction would be my guess. Yes, it is possible to worship on the beach. It's an amazing display of God's creation. But the question is - is that what they were planning on doing?  What I find the most disappointing is - it didn't change the outcome, the "church ladies" didn't move, they stayed right where they were.

Fast forward to today...
I'm finishing up a study called "not a fan." and it is really making me think!  I've been a "born-again Christian" for 39 years - but have I been a follower for 39 years?  Following Jesus Christ means to daily deny self, and follow Him. He doesn't say it will be comfortable. He doesn't say that it will produce lots and lots of friends, as a matter of fact He says just the opposite.  People will make fun of you, laugh at you, talk behind your back, say and do hurtful things, and yes, there will be sacrifices. I can pat myself on the back because I do a different devotion book each month, go to bible studies, go to church and Sunday school - but if what I'm hearing doesn't change me, the way I think, the things I do, what I say and where I go... what's the point?

What I'm learning...
...God doesn't beg anyone to come to Him. He gives us the choice to choose Him.
...God doesn't promise that people will like me, but He does promise that He will ALWAYS love me.
...Following Jesus Christ isn't easy, if it were easy everyone would do it!
...Following is for the weak, those who realize that their life would be empty and lost without Him.
...God promised that if we follow Him today, in our human "tents", that it will be OH, SO Worth it in the end!

I don't want to be a "church lady" and stay right where I am; I have decided to "Dioko" Jesus!
(Greek word Dioko means to passionately follow!)

Five Smooth Stones

Have you ever prayed and prayed for God to give you direction and when He does you have such a peace that walking in that direction doesn't seem very difficult at all?

Well, recently I experienced that very thing. I prayed. God's answer was “go ahead”. So, I did and I knew God was going to bless. As I set out to do as God directed I felt peace, I found answers I was looking for and I was able to accomplish much. I was feeling really good about how I had listened and followed through. That should have been my first warning sign!

What seemed like only moments after the task had been completed, Satan began to prowl.

The positive steps that had been taken were quickly brought crumbling down in the blink of an eye! He caused me to begin to second guess that I heard God clearly.  I was crushed. I was angry. I was ready to throw in the towel. I let Satan get in my head, and he loved it!  I reacted exactly how he wanted and expected me to! 

I began to question why.  Why would this be something he would choose to use against me? It didn't seem like that big of a deal. Unfortunately the answer was ...because he could. The last thing Satan wants is for God to be glorified; so instead of allowing me the opportunity to enjoy the "fruit" of the accomplishments, he torn me down.  He knows my weaknesses and he uses them whenever I let my guard down.  1 Peter 5:8 says to "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."  I can see him now, licking his chops planning on Roasted Patty for dinner!  What makes me really mad is he can't do that without my permission and I apparently gave up very easily. BUT… that’s not the end to this story!

What lesson did I learn?  To practice what I preach!  

A couple of weeks ago I taught our youth Sunday School class. We talked about the story of David killing Goliath with five smooth stones. As we continued our conversation we discussed that we all have "giants" we face every day and what do we use to "kill" them.  I suggested that each student choose five smooth stones - five scripture passages that they can use to "kill" the giants that Satan uses against us.  I then gave them time to search the scripture and find their “stones”.  They took my challenge seriously and they began digging into God's word - it was an amazing site.  Some of the students found many more than five... isn't that awesome?

The next time Satan comes along and tries to get me to second guess what I'm doing and tries to make me think that I wasn’t hearing God clearly - I'm gonna start throwing stones!

1. Philippians 4:13 - HE gives me strength!

2. Proverbs 16:3 - Commit everything to HIM!

3. Jeremiah 29:11 - HE has the plan!

4. Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in HIM, not in myself.

5. Psalm 46:10 - Be still and listen, He is God and HE will give me direction. 

I challenge you to dig into God's word and find your five smooth stones.