Author: naesnotes

As humans we come into this world not knowing anything. Our first teachers are our parents or guardians who are tasked with raising us. After a short time we enter school where new adults and friends we meet become our teachers. During these early periods of our lives, we are willing to learn because we were born with no knowledge. As we get older our willingness to learn tends to decrease because we have gained information throughout our early years. Our need for knowledge then shifts from learning more about the world to learning more about ourselves and how we fit into God’s plan for our lives, which is something others cannot teach us. Isaiah 48:17 reminds us that the Lord is the one who is our ultimate teacher because He knows what is good for us and what paths to take to get there.
“This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬
The question then becomes, “Are you willing to learn?”. Psalm 32:8 says,
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.” Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬ ‭AMP
‭‭God cannot instruct and teach us unless we are willing to learn His ways and His voice, which is done through prayer and the study of His word. Spending time with God shows Him you are willing to learn his ways. Instead of just surviving, spend some time with God today so He can teach you how to thrive!

I haven’t been able to get away from the concept of qualified verses called. The disciples weren’t trained as ministers; yet they were called to accompany Jesus and help him spread the message of the Father’s love. We tend to put ourselves and others into the qualifications box. Just like a job description has a list of qualifications, we can sometimes see others through their list of qualifications. This can lead to feelings of injustice within us that cause us to judge others through our lens of understanding. We say things like,” How did he get that job? She doesn’t have any experience in that area.” This judgement can lend itself to bitterness. I’m sure the pharisees had some of these thoughts when looking at Jesus and his disciples. They had studied for years to become experts but were not chosen as experts to spread the gospel. Much like the pharisees, our judgment of others and their qualifications blinds us to the reality of the message God is trying to get to us. God created each person for a specific purpose known only to God and revealed at the appropriate times. How many times do we miss the purpose because we have forgotten Ephesians 4:31, ” Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (NIV)? These things impede our ability to draw closer to God in order to fulfill the purpose He has for each person. Many times God calls us to do something outside of the qualifications we see to do His work. His calling fills in all the qualifications that aren’t seen by the human eye. Being plugged in to Him and putting aside our human feelings is the only way to become spiritually qualified to fulfill His calling. If we rely on our own qualifications then we won’t need to rely on Him or the Holy Spirit. He pairs our qualifications with His power to create and fulfill the calling on our lives. Don’t be stuck in your qualifications to merely survive. Lean into Him to fulfill your calling and fully thrive!

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that feel like they are beyond our skills. It happens in every area of life. When those situations arise, what is your first thought? Mine usually is something like, “What am I doing here?” Some days I don’t feel like I’m qualified or called. Thankfully, we have an assurance that if we follow God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to qualify or equip ourselves for the tasks ahead. God will equip us with the skills we need to fulfill the things He calls us to do for Him. It’s not an either/or situation. When we are in a situation where we don’t feel qualified or called, we need to look to His word for guidance and assurance that it is He that orders our steps. Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (NIV). Take heart today that no matter what you are facing, if you allow the Lord to order your steps, He will qualify you to the things He has called you to do. It is then that we move from merely surviving in our works to fully thriving!

One of the special things about the Bible is that you can read passages more than once and see something different each time. A popular passage is Hebrews 12:1-3, one you have probably read yourself several times. I read that passage today, at the end of a very long day, and some of the words used in the New American Standard version helped me see it in a different light.

Verse 1 starts with telling us to, “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles” (NASB). Encumbrance is not a word you hear everyday. According to Websters 1828 dictionary an encumbrance is something that impedes motion or renders it difficult. It also lists the word “clogs”. Then it mentions sin. The words “easily entangles” remind us how we can fall into sin without even trying. Both of these things work against progress towards God’s purpose for us. Laying these things aside must be a conscious action to continue our journey.

The end of verse 1 tells us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (NASB). Endurance means to continue without sinking or yielding to the pressure; the ability to withstand hardship (Websters Dictionary). We cannot keep moving forward with endurance if we do not first lay aside our hindrances. The hindrances become distractions that cause us to be weary. Focus and endurance is necessary because the race is the one set before us-no one else. Of course God has a purpose for each person’s life. However, your race and purpose is yours alone. No one else will fulfill the purpose God has for you.

The next 2 verses tell us to “fix our eyes on Jesus” and “consider what He did for us”. He went through things in His time on Earth. In all the trials He endured, He stayed fixed on God and God’s purpose for his life. The key to finding the strength to lay aside distractions and run our race comes from fixing our eyes on Jesus because He is stable. Not only is Jesus stable, but God’s purpose for our lives is stable also. We can survive our day even when we sin or encounter an encumbrance that impedes progress. We can thrive when we consciously lay those things aside and fix our eyes on Jesus to stay stable and steady in finishing our race!

There is always restoration. There is always a path back to the beginning. A new heart-a fresh vision-a new day.

At this point in the year (the end of January), many have given up on pledges they made to themselves at the top of the year. Why? If the story of the Israelites is any example for us it’s that the doors are never closed. Things come to interrupt our schedules, our budgets, our peace of mind. It’s not about the distractions, delays, or doubts. It’s about what to do when those things come. Turn from what you see with your eyes and fix your eyes on God for His plan and to see His goodness. You might not be able to see those things now. You can survive by trying to figure things out on your own. You can thrive when you turn to God’s word and seek Him!

There is a very short verse in Ephesians 6, “and find out what pleases the Lord”. V.10 NIV. Verse 9 lists fruit of the light as goodness, righteousness, and truth. Most people would think that those would be the things that please the Lord. It is implied that those attributes come naturally from living in the light of the Lord. It’s almost like we shouldn’t even have to try to exhibit those qualities. Naturally living as children of light pleases God because that is what He calls us to do. That is expected. So why add verse 10? What else could be pleasing to God? I think the key to that is the beginning of verse 1, “be imitators of God”. That involves so much more than just goodness, righteousness, and truth. Those qualities should be the foundation of our actions. There are so many things that happen in our day where we have opportunities to imitate God with our thoughts, actions, and words. We can find how to imitate Him by spending more time with Him. Imitating Him, acting like He would act in the moment, pleases Him. Pleasing Him comes with a promise.

“To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness…”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2‬:‭26‬a ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/ecc.2.26.NIV

As we please Him, we gain even more wisdom and knowledge to continue to imitate Him. It also brings happiness to you and God. You can survive by acting upon your feelings. You can thrive by seeking to please the Lord!

Ephesions 4:29 says,

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.4.29.NIV

The purpose of this verse is to remind us to watch what we say, which is always good advice. I read this verse the other day and looked at it through a slightly different lens, focusing on the phrase, “according to their needs”. Sometimes we speak out of our own needs. We need to confront someone because it makes us feel better. Some would say this is necessary because a few verses earlier it says, “don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry” (v.26). Most conflicts and hurt feelings can’t or aren’t resolved in the moment or before the sun goes down. If you carry the conversation to another day are you not obeying the Word?

Speaking those grievances in the moment often lends itself more to speaking out of emotions than wisdom. The goal is not to harbor anger or ill feelings towards others and tear them down with your words. We can release the anger and hurt to God before the sun goes down and then see the situation through His lens. Intentions and words can be misinterpreted, and Satan can use that to distract us. By releasing the situation to God “before the sun goes down” we don’t allow Satan to distract us. We can release it to God and let Him heal us and lead us to confront and reconcile if a sin has been committed against us. We need to have His words, wisdom, and leading in the situation in order to avoid further hurt and conflict. This pause will also allow Him to reveal if the conflict is one that needs to be addressed in order to build up the other person or if we misinterpreted the situation and need to allow Him to help us heal. The Bible does instruct us to confront others when they sin against us (Matt. 18:15). How many times do we confront others based on how we felt in the situation and not actually evaluating if they sinned against us? As humans we often get too far into our feelings and don’t see or understand motives. Many times there is a simple, reasonable explanation for something we think is a wrong brought against us. Seeking God in the situation allows Him to show us how to proceed with wisdom and not with feelings.

Emotions can lead us astray. God’s wisdom and the Holy Spirit will lead us in the right direction. When we truly look at things through God’s eyes, we will thrive not just survive!

Cast. The Webster’s 1828 dictionary lists some definitions as to throw, fling or send; to drive away by force. My mind initially goes to fishing when I hear this word. Casting in fishing takes practice in order to be effective. You aim for a certain spot in order to have the best chance of catching a fish. If you’re anything like me, you don’t hit the target the first time. It drops too close to the boat, and I have to reel it back in to try again. Sometimes I’m too close to a tree and get the hook stuck on a branch. It can be somewhat similar when we go to cast our cares on God. We don’t cast it far enough to truly let go and end up taking it back. That doesn’t do us any good because we haven’t truly released it. Other times think we have cast it but it gets stuck on something. We try to throw it out and get it as far away from us as possible. However, there’s something that sticks with us where we have to keep trying to get rid it. That’s where the practice enters the picture. In order to effectively cast my cares on God, I have to practice daily letting go of the things that I can’t control. You will survive by casting only when you feel overwhelmed. How much more would you thrive if you practiced casting everyday?

Jeremiah 29:11. Known by most people and usually quoted just as, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” That was on the front of the journal I had out and started thinking about the word hope to write about today. Then I opened my Bible to see if that matched the version I had and noticed a missing phrase in the middle of the verse. The verse in the NIV actually reads like this:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why is it that the middle phrase often gets deleted when the verse is being referenced? For many people just knowing God has a plan for them is just enough comfort to get them through whatever situation they are facing. That’s understandable since we mess up often and know God is still in control of the future.

When we take out, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you” we are missing a vital piece of how we could be living. God doesn’t just have a future for us. His plan for us is that we prosper. Webster’s 1828 dictionary lists these words in the definition of prosper: to favor; to succeed; to grow; to increase; to thrive; to make gain. This does not necessarily apply to money. It applies to all areas of our lives including peace, faith, trust in God, and relationships. His plan for us is that we have the absolute best in the future He has for us. We can survive by knowing and trusting He does have a plan. How much more can we thrive if we remind ourselves that His plan is for us to prosper!