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God's definition of wealth is much different from what we are led to believe in this world. For many years I was believing a lie that the wealth of this world would bring me security and happiness. The Lord has used situations in my life over the past few years to teach me that having money will never satisfy the longings of my heart. The abundant life that Jesus died to give me is found only in my relationship to Him. Does that mean that God doesn't want to bless me, of course, He does! What good Father does not want to give His children everything their heart's desire, the Bible tells us this truth over and over.  For example in Mathew 7:9-11 Jesus said, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?     Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?      If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! God is our loving Father and He does wa...

I gave my heart to Jesus twenty years ago but for many years I struggled to die to myself and to obey the teachings of Christ. Oh, I professed with my mouth that Jesus was Lord, but truth be told it was and still is a daily decision to surrender my will and pick up my cross and follow Christ.  Surrendering to God isn't easy and anyone who says it is likely has not entered the narrow gate that Jesus talked about (Matthew 7:13). After all this time of believing in Christ,  the human in me can still love my life more than God.  It's been a constant battle to die to my flesh because for many years I identified more with my life story, my past pain, my hurts, my regrets, my disappointments and sorrows of this life. I realize now how early trauma in my life really affected my ability to see the good God had placed in me.   For a lot of my life I focused on the negative parts of my story, I saw myself as flawed and broken, which I was. Now, of course, it wasn't just negative thing...

I opened my journal today to an entry from a year ago when I was at a spiritual retreat. During the conference, I wrote these words. "Do I live by what I fear or do I live by what I trust? Am I ply-able in the hands of the master? Like the clay collapsing on the wheel. Do I will to do this? Do I allow the master to mould me?" But now, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 What a beautiful image of the master potter with his gentle hands upon the delicate clay on the potter's wheel. If you've ever watched a potter work with clay you know it takes very fine, delicate timing and movements of the hands upon that spinning wheel to create a masterpiece.  And so are our lives in the potter's hands, so fragile but so beautiful, as He forms and shapes us into His masterpiece. The clay's only job -- to surrender to the work of the master as He turns the wheel. We are that clay in God's hand...

Have you ever wondered if you are walking in God's will in your life, if you are on the right path on your spiritual journey? If you are anything like me I sometimes wonder if I'm lost, did I take a wrong turn, am I where God wants me?  Is my life making a difference? Sometimes God seems quiet and the road ahead seems long and hard.  Some days my prayers are questions and full of lament for the way my life has turned out.  In the quiet of my heart, I hear a response in God's ever so gentle way, "ssh my beloved, everything is okay, just trust me, press on, do not fear, I am here." Comforting yes, but before long I find myself seeking to know if I'm in His will again.  Which isn't a bad thing I suppose, at least my heart is in the right place. Today I received a profound nudge in a sermon I heard at church. The preacher was speaking about walking in step with the Holy Spirit and how to tell if you are working with Him, instead of against Him.  Sometimes we c...

    No matter who you are, where you live, how much money you possess, a profound truth of our human condition, is that we cannot and will not ever escape pain.  It may be emotional pain; it could be physical or even spiritual pain.  Pain is something we cannot avoid in this fallen world.  Jesus tells us this in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   Please don’t get me wrong the purpose of this blog post is not to negate your pain, I know that many Christians are experiencing a lot of opposition in their lives right now that is undoubtedly causing much suffering, myself included.  That is why I felt led to write this blog post.   This past year has been a year of significant change for my family and I.  I have dealt with many stressful life events that have caused me to feel weary some days. This past year, I experienced the death of a loved one, ...

In my last post ( http://www.narrowgatetraveller.com/?p=302 )  I talked about self-worth and how our identity should always be in Christ.  Our worth should never come from people, roles or "things" that are here today and gone tomorrow.  Our identity must be grounded in Christ and who He is and who the Word says we are in Him.  So, if we are Children of God first, what is our purpose for being on this planet and what significance if any do our roles play in our lives? Our roles on Earth are not worthless, they are essential to our spiritual growth, so we must not negate them.  They are part of who we are and they are an important part of our identity in Christ.  They are in fact where our purpose lies, and it is okay to embrace these God-given roles, remembering always that we are children of God first and that we must never get our worth from this world. God has placed inside our spirits many purposes.  That is why it is so important to become spiritually aware.  If you go t...

Many people struggle with personal identity, they don't know their worth or value in this world. Physiologist who study child development have learned that by age seven one's self-image is formed. Who we believe we are and how we perceive others see us is created at this very early stage of our development. One area that deeply affects our identity is our relationships and how they play out in our lives good or bad.   We must realize that no matter their effect on us relationships are a gift to us from God, as they help us grow spiritually. Whether it is a romantic relationship, a friendship, or our children, relationships are given to help us learn how to love and serve others and how to fully love God. We must not get our worth from them good or bad, as they do not define who we are.   Our relationships can truly challenge us and help refine our character but they must never define us. This is a profound truth that God shared with me and that I've had to learn in my heal...