What Is One Of The Life-long Lessons God Has Been Trying To Teach You - And You Finally Get It?

I am inspired to start a "where the rubber meets the road" thread where we can share with others what He has patiently taught us during our journey and to do so without judgment. So, exactly how have you learned to LIVE the words you profess? And, what are the benefits you've realized?

I'll start. Here's one of mine:

He always has my best in mind. In every situation. In every way and every day.

For example (admittedly, this will seem petty to some!):

When I am caught behind someone who is not driving the way I want them to, I am reminded that only He can see the road ahead.

I used to be a road rage fanatic - in my younger years. (Truthfully, I've had 3 actual auto accidents in my 25 years of driving.) I have lived in several large metropolitan cities, always multi-tasking, running late, etc., where many, many, many times I have been in a near-miss car accident situation. The difference between the near-miss and the accident was calculated in few mere seconds. Even on the drive in to work today, I was gently reminded that my impatience will work against His plan for me.

Anyone else have something to share?:D
 
I love this thread idea. I'm not ready to add anything to it yet, but I look forward to what people have to share.
 
Very good idea and I love your example.

I think mine is more technical or something like that but.. mine is trust.

On many occasions in life I have been put in a place where I must trust God to get through and still am going through this now. I could however go and worry my bum off about all I am going through but the Lord gives me sufficient grace and peace when I trust Him... I am lucky to have this ability within me and He never fails me.
 
My "feelings" are usually a very unreliable source of guidance. I used to gauge my "spirituality" (relationship with God) by how good I was feeling about myself (or my actions) or the blessings I was (or wasn't) experiencing. And, conversely, if I was feeling out of sorts, I automatically assumed God was pushing me away or far away from me.

Now, my feelings aren't given the weight they "think" they deserve! :p Instead, I don't judge the condition of my heart by my feelings. I let Him be the judge and the Revealer of the Truth through His Word and through the revelation and testimony of His Holy Spirit.

Proverbs 16:2 (NIV)
"All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD."
"My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me."

I'm not saying that His Spirit doesn't give me the "warm fuzzies" or feelings of conviction when appropriate, but in general, they cannot be trusted as a source of truth.) Only He can be my source of truth. All my attempts at deciphering my feelings relative to my spiritual condition are for naught - so I don't try anymore! Praise God, He loves me all the same - whether I am "bad" or "good" - His love for me through Christ Jesus cannot be separated from me.

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Praise be to the One Who Loves so unconditionally!
 
What Is One Of The Life-long Lessons God Has Been Trying To Teach You - And You Finally Get It?
I wouldn't say mine is a life long lesson, but something that is a lot clearer to me of late. I ask myself, what is the greatest thing I can do for God? The answer that is so clear to me is that it is toiling the soil in other peoples lives as best as I can. Wielding the word of God with skill. Not to damage the unsaved but at the same time not to impress, tickle or scratch their backs.

So many Christians are caught up judging their greatness by their intellect, wealth or the signs and wonders God entrusts them to do. God has NO difficulty in moving Africa closer to North America or printing a million dollars for each one of us. But God HAS difficulty, hope, sadness and frustration in winning over our souls and trust in Him. Good example being the Jews in the desert. Despite the powerful prophet Moses doing great wonders, their hearts grew cold and rebelled. God reminds me of a rich man looking for a good wife who loves him and not his money. Must we aspire to be like Moses and make the red sea part? or like Jesus who laid His life down for us on the cross. Great signs and wonders are child's play in comparison to humbling ourselves to nothing, in hope that others may be saved. The results needed for the unsaved is true salvation, not a sign or wonder. The signs and wonders follow. 'Follow' needs to be emphasized.
 
Grace.

Not you, the theological concept of Grace.

So many people tie God to sin and the sin aspect is in their minds their whole life. Talk about being enslaved.

Grace means I'm free from that. Because he's answered past and future sins, as long as I confess my future sins. I don't waste time wondering if this is a sin or not when I do it. Likewise I don't go hang out in topless bars thinking it's not a sin. I'm conscious but not obsessed.

People that think so much of sin, can't see the goal in front of them, because they are watching the past behind them. Try driving your car like that. :|

Not only are the sins forgiven, but to my understanding God wants to change you from a person who can sin, to one who can't sin. I know that's at odds to the rest of you, but I'm certain of it and have answered a billion questions on it and still sit resolute. But, what this means, and this is the point, those sins being forgiven is the beginning of the change, not the end game.

Being saved, puts you at the start line of the race Paul describes. You still have the race to run. Paul said get to the end, and he meant in this life.

So, what you find of the verses that we disagree on, is fine by me. My point is, I need not think of sinning anymore. If I do I do. As He changes me I won't. It's going to be HIS change that does anything, not my will. My will must be poor in spirit. Then it's made strong in His Spirit.

And in my Book, God is God, if He wishes to remake me to the point I don't sin anymore on earth, HE IS CAPABLE. The only discussion on that topic would be is that his intent.
And that's another thread, or in private. I just couldn't explain my view without admitting to that on the table.
 
For me, the major issue was trust. I contrast that to faith, in that I knew God could do anything, I had a lack of trust that He would. I also tended to wonder if I could survive some of His plans. ( I know...:( )
I knew some of the verses...Jeremiah 29:11 and so on, but I "trusted" in my feelings of...well, to be honest, suspicion and doubt.

As the Lord brought me into difficult times, this increased. After a time of this, we had to leave the house we were renting, as it was owned by a utility company that had hopes to build a nuclear power plant, but couldn't, so they were selling all the properties. We moved into another rental house (with 5 children and one on the way) and the owner didn't mention he had moved because the bank was foreclosing. (this was years ago, before foreclosures took 2-4 years. I only know this now because my son works in a law office dealing strictly with foreclosures.) The police should have come within weeks of us moving in. Unfortunately, an acquaintance spoke at length to the "fact" cops would come at dawn, or shortly before, to frighten and intimidate, and would insist we leave immediately, or at most, give us 72 hours. The 72 hour part is true, but she also said they would put our things outside at that point, which is also true, but either she spoke in a spirit of fear, or I heard it that way, or both. I cared not for the things, but I did want our children to have a home, and wanted a place to bring the baby after she was born. A close friend, dear and sweet, offered to have us live with them and their 5 children. ♥ I didn't understand it, but felt led to refuse her kind offer. This was the beginning of a huge change in my thinking about the Lord.

Months went by...too much time, really, to God's glory. Our daughter was born, and we still had a place to call "home". We were actively, diligently searching for another house, but could not find one. We spoke to the (now former) owner of the house and agreed we should no longer pay him rent, and asked the bank if they would accept it instead, but they refused it, so we gave it away. All this time, the Lord brought me to scripture that spoke of trusting Him, and not as a suggestion, either!
At a completely unexpected time, the police did arrive, one early afternoon. God graciously arranged for it to be a day when Mark was, oddly, home at that time. The officers were kind and respectful. I think they knew our situation, and had compassion for it. We were given the 72 hours, and the name of a lawyer by the police. The lawyer got us an extra 2 weeks. :)

We packed and looked for a house; packed and looked. The day came when we had to leave. The kitchen was the last thing to pack, and I spent the morning on my knees packing and praying. My prayer was not for a house. I just kept asserting that I did trust Him. I didn't feel it, but I knew it was right that I do so. I cried and packed and prayed, just asserting that I DID trust Him, over and over. My children must have thought their mom had lost her sanity! ;)
We signed a lease on a new house at 4pm, and had to be out at midnight. (though I suspect now that no one would have minded had we needed till dawn. :) ) The whole church turned out with trucks to help us move. God is so good. In retrospect I could see His hand at work all over the place. :)

Through this, and other times, I learned that God loves to increase my faith and trust by being an eleventh hour Provider...but that felt like it was 11:59...lol.
I learned that the Word is true; I understood why we felt we ought not to have moved in with our friends. I don't know if He was testing me, but I do know He wanted me to see that I am commanded to trust Him, and that He IS a faithful Father. I doubted He would provide a place to live because I took the Word literally that He promised food and clothing, but said nothing about a home. (can you imagine? I was so foolish!) I neglected to see that He tells us that if we, being human parents want to give good gifts to our children, how much more will He, as our Father in heaven give us what we ask.
After we moved, a sister in the church apologized for not letting us know what a testimony we were to the whole local Body in showing faith in the Lord's provision. (I cry as I type that, still.) I couldn't believe what she was saying...me?? used to show faith and trust in Him? I also still laugh at the thought (in joy!), and how multifaceted our God is.

This newfound trust would stand me in good stead for r-e-a-l trials to come, but that's another story. :)
Thanks for reading all of that. I hope I speak in a way that brings glory to my Sovereign God alone. He provided much, much more than a mere place to live. He changed my life. Again! :)

I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN,
IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.”
And again,
“I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.”
And again,
“BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.” Hebrews 2: 12-13

O LORD, You are my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have worked wonders,
Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
And it will be said in that day,
“Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” Isaiah 25:1,9

ps--would God have been as faithful had He not chosen to do things as He did? Absolutely! Yet I am joyful He chose the way things happened.
 
Abraham, would not be recognized for His faith, had he not acted upon it and trusted God. Faith is more = to trust, than faith a comparison to belief. You can believe without trust, reasoned/rationalized belief. When you have faith with Trust, you approach the Xian faith's definition/meaning/picture of love.

James2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and [fn19] as a result of the works, faith was [fn20] perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. NASB

Emphasis in original.


My lord my master
Dear friend and father,
Please take my heart
And make it new.
Adonai,
Lord of David
Please take my life
Make me your tool.
What have I to give
Please take it all
Have my life as yours’
For you I would live.


Who am I
Who am I to you
What do you see
What am I to you
Will MY image hold
Or will you paint anew?
Why can’t I be
What I want you to see?
I’m a broken lamp
My time has come
Lord be the wick
Who’s light shines through me!
 
Abraham, would not be recognized for His faith, had he not acted upon it and trusted God. Faith is more = to trust, than faith a comparison to belief. You can believe without trust, reasoned/rationalized belief. When you have faith with Trust, you approach the Xian faith's definition/meaning/picture of love.

Yes! Thanks for that concise way of explaining it! I would say we do more than just approach it, by God's infinite mercy and grace.

James2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and [fn19] as a result of the works, faith was [fn20] perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. NASB

Emphasis in original.


My lord my master
Dear friend and father,
Please take my heart
And make it new.
Adonai,
Lord of David
Please take my life
Make me your tool.
What have I to give
Please take it all
Have my life as yours’
For you I would live.
Who am I
Who am I to you
What do you see
What am I to you
Will MY image hold
Or will you paint anew?
Why can’t I be
What I want you to see?
I’m a broken lamp
My time has come
Lord be the wick
Who’s light shines through me!

Lovely. :)
 
The last post here was almost a month ago; but having just signed on to the forum I will give it a go. I cannot begin to list or even mention the many lessons I have learned over the years; so I am going to briefly tell the tale of my recent lesson in the school of the Spirit.

I have learned to hold on to a purpose, plan, or vision beyond my original anticipation of it's fulfillment. Thus ...

Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV)
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
The clue in this for me to "get" is: "For the vision is yet for an appointed time." I am continually working on this one because I can get too eager too soon and disappointed too quickly. But here's the rub: Often I get this insight, vision, plan, direction, etc. far ahead of the "appointed time." sometimes even years. So it is important not to obsess on it or feel a sense of failure, or give up on God.. but to wait because if God promises it..it will come about at the time He has appointed. :)
 
For me, my major issue was abandonment. I struggled for YEARS with borderline personality disorder, and the root issue in BPD is fear of real or imagined abandonment. The big thing here is, I finally "got it" when I realized he would never abandon me..... everything else fell into place once I stopped believing lies from Satan.
 
Thank you so much for sharing this Karson. That explains a lot about my daughter that I only suspected but could never really define clearly.
 
Brain Tumor. Stop me in my tracks. Yeah okay God you got me good, you allowed this to happen. And i must add thank you Lord! I see it as a new life new beginning for me. I survived the OP and here i am. Alive and well and zombie out thanks to the meds :p. Can't work no longer, can't drive a car not to worry. Son came back home to help me out. Actually he came back about 5 days before i was diagnosed with the tumor. no reason just wanted to come home.

Amazing this tumor has been manifesting in my brain for years then out of the blue it triggers and all hell breaks loose. The worse and best thing that ever happen to me. Praise the nurses and Surgeons! Praise God!
 
Since I become a Christian, I never could turn away from certain bad habits. On my fortieth birthday during the time I was diagnosed with depression, I discovered true faith in Jesus. I question it and found an answer in the twelve spies that sent to Canaan who fixed the landmark of their lives by their confession. Ten of them said:"We can't do it" They believe they could not, therefore, they could not. Israel accepted the majority report and subsequently wandered forty more years in the wilderness. It took me 40 years to realize that all is possible through Jesus and not to stand on your own understanding or those who said you can not do it, it is not you. It is four years later, and never did I looked back to the things I used to do. All the bad habits are gone and now I am living a new life in Christ Jesus.

God Bless
 
Since I become a Christian, I never could turn away from certain bad habits. On my fortieth birthday during the time I was diagnosed with depression, I discovered true faith in Jesus. I question it and found an answer in the twelve spies that sent to Canaan who fixed the landmark of their lives by their confession. Ten of them said:"We can't do it" They believe they could not, therefore, they could not. Israel accepted the majority report and subsequently wandered forty more years in the wilderness. It took me 40 years to realize that all is possible through Jesus and not to stand on your own understanding or those who said you can not do it, it is not you. It is four years later, and never did I looked back to the things I used to do. All the bad habits are gone and now I am living a new life in Christ Jesus.

God Bless

Hi there Jacoj: Good to read your testimony about walking with the Lord. I think that daily prayer and Bible reading in dependence on the Lord is a great context for walking with Him day by day. Blessings.
 
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