Counterfeiting

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain." Psalm 127:1

It is not possible for us to copy or recreate that which is of God. Any attempt on our parts to copy the God that we see in another person, church, or organization will fail. It is God who established them, and for that very reason, we are able to see God at work in them. Even if they were to teach us all the "secrets" of God that He has revealed to them, if we are not walking with God and seeking Him and His understanding on our own, then we are a counterfeit. I am not able to copy the acts or writings of any great "Saint" or person of God that I may look up to or aspire to be like for it is God who inspired their very heart and soul and infused them with His power to be who they are and do the things they are doing. They do them through the inspiration, power and leading of the Holy Spirit. So, we should never strive to "be Godly." It is only God who can make us more like Him, and the most natural part of the process is seeing that the more we become like Him, the less we are naturally able to be like Him on our own. It is only by His grace and gift to us. Our eyes are opened more and more to the fact that we are not Godly on our own or of our own "doing." So stop "doing" and start seeking Jesus, humbly bowing before Him. Not only are you not "Godly," but you are a sinner and in desparate need of His grace. He chose to give it to you, as a free gift, because you are His child and He loves you so. You are precious to Him in every way! What sweet relief it is to know we don't have to do it all on our own. Relax and rest and trust in Him...surrender it all to Him and find freedom.

The crooked man stands in his crooked house
Judging everyone else's
And from the spot on which he stands,
His is the only straight one.

Be sure your foundation is the Rock of Ages so your perspective is not skewed by the crookedness of the world.

Confirmation

Lately I have felt somewhat confused when it comes to knowing where God wants me to be. Today, I began reviewing the past and considering the instances in my life when God acted on my behalf, or in some way revealed Himself to me. As I drew from my most precious memories, the ones in which God chose to reveal Himself to me, I realized that each instance shared an important commonality. Each one was preceded by my desire to seek God and to do His will, as well as my turning to Him and placing my circumstances into His love and care. Each time involved a process of my realizing that I had exhausted my own power and strength and yet, still, was unable to change anything. These moments are my treasures. They are the ones in which I came to understand more and more God's love for me and His absolute Sovereignty over my life and all things.

Now, as for the instances themselves, the ones where God's hand seemingly reached down from Heaven and altered the very fabric of my experiences in a magnificent display of His love, grace and might; for these there is no comparison. They are the stamps of God upon my life. They are the upward steps of faith which cause my heart to know in ever increasing measure that the Almighty God of the Universe does indeed Reign on High. They are the awesome moments where one can exclaim in perfect faith that, "God's foolishness is greater than man's wisdom." They prove the truth and reveal the beauty of the verses, "apart from Him I can do no good thing," for, "every good and perfect gift is from above."

When we choose to turn our troubles over to God, He confirms that faith by acting on our behalf. Even when the instance is trivial, as long as our hearts are for Him, He will reveal Himself and confirm that He has heard, and often, the response is heart and mind changing. Evidence of God's love is often seen in the transformation of our lives.

Eventually, we turn a corner. Rather than turning circumstances over to God one at a time, we turn our whole lives over to Him. When we are following His will and seeking His face wholeheartedly, He will bring all that we need right across our path. God honors our desire to know Him, obey Him, and love Him more. There is no amount of struggling that will cause it to be brought about on our own.