Breaking Ungodly Beliefs

Are there any areas of your life you know God is placing His hand on because they are broken or unhealed? What do you believe God would say to you about the particular ungodly beliefs you struggle with?

I am struggling with bitterness. I have for quite sometime letting some things go when I know I should. The story I want to share is one that I dated a girl and had strong feelings for her last year. Well, the relationship ended and I went through all the stages of denial, but I mainly bitter. I thought I got a raw deal in the break-up and didn't understand why though she did tell me why. We tried to remain friends and perhaps my motives were to woo her back. Fast forward, she meets a great guy and they fall in love. They are now engaged. Good for them. It is what she always wanted and they will be happy. I mean that, but I still feel hurt and bitter. So, I hoping God will speak to me and confirm to me that this happened for a reason which I do believe and for him to tell me to keep my faith and this bitterness that I feel will one day go away and I will laugh about it. I just used a bunch of ands to wrap this up.

Weej 8: God's Guidance Hearing God's Voice

What are the ways you feel God most commonly speaks to you?
I feel God  speaks to me about being a better person in Christ. He speaks on how I should act. That I should be kind and caring to people. That I should help people. That is how I got involved in Outreach. One of the group leaders asked for more men in God to be part of the group. I didn't think anything about it that night, but the next morning I knew clearly that God was speaking through him to get me involved with the Outreach group.

What ways do you want to grow in?

Are there any areas you want to hear from God about?
Yes. This one is very selfish, but it has to be about relationships. What relationships am I to be? This is especially true with relationships with women. It would be nice to ask God is this the one?

Week 7: The Holy Spirit

Journal Questions: What did you learn about the Holy Spirit?
That everyone has the Holy Spirit.

What would you still like to know? Talking in tongues. I am curious about this.

Is there anything about the Holy Spirit you are still apprehensive about? I still need to grow and have much to learn. I am not open with a bunch of my feelings. So outwardly expressing myself through the Holy Spirit now is hard for me to comprehend.

My post are getting shorter. I need to step my GAME up.

If you would like to be led by the Holy Spirit in a greater degeree, ask Him.

Assignment Six

Are there any relationships you feel God wanting you to work on? Which relationships in your life push you closer to God/pull you away? Is there anything you feel God wants you to confess to someone? Is there anyone you feel God wants you to serve?

I feel God wants me to work on all my current relationships. I thought the exercise in 101 was great in which we listed the people that was either a yes or no about being a friend. I wanted my relationships to be a yes. That core group of friends that can encourage and support you. Enjoy their company and help each other become better and trust. Are real with each other and draw each other closer to God.

My current group of friends at church strive to push me closer to God. I admire their dedication and love for God. It is really good to see their hearts. Stay with them and away from those who try to pull you away from God. There are people who will mock me an make jokes when I saw I volunteered, went to church or Spiritual 101. I just dismiss it and move on. I am not even in the business of debating this with them. I feel over time they will get the point that I am still doing what I am doing and their jokes are lame.

Well, this was a hard week. I feel as if I kind of fell off the spirtual wagon. I was more snappy and angry when I should have been more at peace with myself and relying on Lord. Read this post am I am sharing.

I will serve the Carpenter's Shelter. CS puts things in perspective and I enjoy it. I just hope it is warm.

Week 5: Character Formation

How is God working on your character now? What does God do during seasons of pruning and how have you seen this in your life? What is God teaching you about meekness and how do you feel led to walk this out? Who are you planing to serve?

I will answer the last question first as I the questions are much deeper than I originally thought. I plan to serve the local community during Blitz week. Tonight, I will volunteer at the Carpenters family shelter. It really puts things in perspective and when you show up you see how happy especially the children that you came to spend some time with them. Also, Saturday I plan to help clean up a local park. I will be back later to finish out the question. The park cleanup was no walk in the park. The grounds had been used as a dumping ground for years. We cleaned what you could see with the naked eye cleaning up beer bottles and can. Then we went deep into the woods and in two hours pulled out over 100 tires, two fridges, mattresses and a motorcycle. It was tough, but hopefully this was the start in cleaning up the park.

The last year has been great. God has been working on me and slowly my character is growing as my faith grows. Spirtual formation has been one of many steps like serving. I really enjoy serving. For one I am not angry as much as I use to be. I don't hold on to things like I once would hold on to things. The small things I realize are small things. Let's move on as better things await me. Go God!

I feel I need to think the meekness question out better. I will be back.

Week 4: Cultivating a Quiet Time

What does your devotional life look life? Do you have a Bible Study action plan? Are there any types of prayer discussed that you would like to try this week?

I use to know where my bible was, but never used it. I started Devotime.org, but was not committed to visiting the website each day. Then one day I noticed that I could get a daily email sent to me to read the daily message. The only drawback is that I still don't get to the devotime.org website to see the accompanying video, but I do read daily and get a chance to reflect on the word and how it applies to my life. Also, I downloaded the Youbible app and read its daily message. It is usually a verse instead of a chapter so it is easier to process if you are in a hurry. Finally, I read Joel Osteen's Your Best Life. Some may not be his biggest fans, but it is a good book. It has daily bible verses and a message that accompanies the daily message.

I have no set bible study plan. I just attempt to read and reread verses until I understand them. If it is historical I continue to read, but if it extremely pertinent as all verses are I see how I can apply it to my life. I should work better to develop my bible study action plan.

I want to try prayer walking as we are always walking. It is so practical. Also, I like soaking prayer. I feel this is what I do, but feel I need to get better with intercession which is praying on someone's behalf.

Assignment 3: Secrets of the Secret Place

Journal Question: What are your biggest hinderances to spending alone time with God? What do you want your quiet times with God to look like?

This will probably go down as my favorite assignment in the Spiritual Formation 101 Growth Track. Why? Because I am like most people who live in DC. That is my life is busy and hectic. It is fast paced and I feel like I am always in a hole trying to climb out. So, that means trying to juggle my new life with God with how I manage my old life. That being work, working out and a social life. I was too busy with God and now I must understand that I need to make time with him. I am attempting to serve him so when a Tuesday night might have been just going home and watching tv. It now means I head over to the church for the Growth Track. Where it might have been a Thursday I head to the gym or the rare happy hour I now head over to shelter and volunteer my time with other like minded people. This now takes away from the things that I use to do and it has been a challengem but I know that I am happier person I grow an walk with God.

You are probably wondering when I am going to answer the question. Maybe I just did. I guess it is adjusting my "old life" and budgeting my old life and give more to my new self. And with that is the understanding that this new life I need to have quiet times. My time alone with God. I need to be with him. There are plenty of times I am alone. I just need to turn off the tv hit and just be with God. I can also get in the car keep the radio off and just drive in the slow lane. If I keep the radio on maybe it can be a Hillsong Church song :)

On a scale of 1-10, how hungry are you for God?

My hunger for God is an 7.5. I am not sure how I got this answer. I did say it was an 8, but I bumped it down. I am getting there.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Tree

What "father" stereotype do you relate best to and how do you feel this can affect your perception of God? Ask God what He is Wanting to reveal to you about Himself...

Taking what I learned last week in spiritual formation. I will say that the two stereotypes of God for me is a cross between a school teacher who is always grading my behavior and an angry policeman waiting to catch me doing something wrong. For one if your faith is not strong then you may believe that your grade is already given and no matter how hard you try you will fall short in the eyes of God. Also, people tend to view as an angry God. If you don't get right with the Lord then he will punish you. God is a loving God and loves his children. We have heard that God is a jealous God. That is only fair. I believe God want to reveal to me that he is NONE of the stereotype. As the notes from class state, God is not distant or apathetic. He has heart towards us and love for us is intense.

Assignment One

I think it is easy question. I assume these questions will get harde, but if the life of a person is like clay being made into a pot. Then the phase I am in is the phase where the potter beats all the air pockets out of the clay. That is equivalent of beating the sin out of an individual. If the air pockets are not removed when the pot is placed in the kiln then it will most likely break. I do not want to break and I want all the air pockets gone. During this time I would like to move further out of this phase and into the next phase. That is my goal. Let's get to removing those air pockets (sin.)

See you next week for the next assignment (if not sooner for assignment two).