Intentional Living: Week 6

this was my last week of sunday school!
i really enjoyed everything that God showed me through this study, and i so appreciate all of the encouragement from those of you who have been following!

this week's lesson was on being an intentional witness.

*Being an intentional witness has to start with being an intentional woman!


as i was thinking about how to approach this topic, i realized that no matter what kind of method or training you might have on proper witnessing techniques, nothing would matter if you are not an intentional woman yourself!

let's face it...
if you are constantly walking around miserable...complaining about your rotten husband, how terrible your kids are, how your finances are falling apart...will anyone have any desire to even know a God who would allow his children to live such miserable lives?

i don't think so!

the point is simple.
while i do not ever claim to have a perfect life, i do claim to have a perfectly amazing relationship with a perfect loving Father who takes care of all my needs and gives me hope to even continue living.

i feel that if we focus more on the following four points, our witness will be what it should be.

1.Yourself
after reading 1 peter chapter 3...wow. just wow.
it is so convicting!!
i mean, just this verse alone can transform your whole entire life-
"whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit."

do you desire to love your life, or hate it?

do you end up loving it or hating it?

if you hate it? maybe you should try keeping your tongue from evil!
seems simple enough, right??

i feel like this is where satan has us.
we get so wrapped up in things that are going on in our christian circles (backbiting, judging, criticizing) that we are not focused on the lost.

the ones that need salvation!

i am not even focusing on these other people because i am so wrapped up in my own problems with SISTERS IN CHRIST!

Focus on yourself!

how are you treating other people?
i read a verse in psalm 119 that really hit me. it said
i hate every vain thought, but thy law do i love.

wow. every vain thought?
i think i have a lot of those!

is it just me? or do you have imaginary conversations in your head too?
you know..those long conversations where you are telling a person off for the way they are mistreating you?
i mean...you are never going to actually have this conversation, but for some reason we actually think it makes us feel better to have it in our head!
i was just having one sunday morning as i was straightening my hair!

and then i had to stop myself and say...wow.

if i had just spent those last 5 minutes praying for someone that i know that needs Christ, imagine all the power that would have been there!!

2. Your Salvation
how often do you focus on what you have in salvation?

we were enemies of Christ! (Colossians 1:21)
we were foolish, disobedient haters! (Titus 3:3)

this was me.
but because of Jesus death and payment for my sins,

where i was once far off, i have now been brought near to Christ!

amazing!!

just to think about the peace that have, knowing that no matter what happens, i will never be alone. Jesus promises to NEVER leave me or forsake me!

it's unreal that i can go to bed at night and know that if i don't wake up tomorrow? i am 100% sure that i would be in heaven. i mean...100% sure!

i don't want to ever take that for granted!

i talked about the verse in 2 Timothy 3:12 where it says that all who live godly will suffer persecution.
i remember my dad saying to me when i was in high school, that he was always a little nervous if everyone liked me, and i was never having any problems with people!

why?

because maybe that meant that i wasn't taking a stand to do what was right!
pretty deep thought!
how are people treating you right now?


i brought out how the only attribute of God that is mentioned three times in a row is his holiness.

it is never said that God is loving, loving, loving.
or faithful, faithful, faithful.

God is holy.

*God reveals His holiness by showing His utter hatred of all that is unholy.


what do we do with all that is unholy?

put up our feet and get out the popcorn!!

right?
we laugh at sin!
we pay money to watch it, and laugh at it!

maybe we could stand to change our thinking a bit on this one!

3. Others
i should always be thinking of others!
who did Christ come to die for?

-sinners (Romans 5:8)
-the ungodly (Romans 5:6)
and Ecclesiastes 7 tells us that there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin!

Jesus had compassion on others.
He showed compassion to the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, but then did what...

told her to go and sin no more!

we are to have mercy and compassion, combined with truth!

*mercy without truth is compromise

we are not doing anyone any favors by just being merciful.

a lot of people can be nice, but it's not really nice people that we need!

we need people who are going to stand on a foundation of truth! (God's Word)
not their opinion...

and lovingly help people with their problems!

4. Hell/Tribulation
this is an interesting thing to think about focusing on.
but it will definitely change your way of thinking!

Hell is a real placed, that is described as
-everlasting fire
-fire that will never be quenched
-a place with wailing and gnashing of teeth
-outer darkness

those are just a few of the descriptions.
it's serious!
and it's real.

the tribulation will be a time where all christians (and children who have not reached an age of accountability) will be removed from the earth suddenly.

then there will be earthquakes, hail, fire, the water will turn to blood, and things will be happening all around that we can honestly, hardly even fathom.

think about someone you love and care about going through any of the above things i just mentioned!

*if you understand what hell is really like - you will be a more intentional witness!




i hope that through all of my thoughts on this, you have seen at least one thing that you can do differently to really live an intentional life.

i know i have seen so many ways that i can change to be more like Christ!

and that is my goal!

to live every day to please Jesus.

the awesome part about it is, that when i do that?

he blesses me and gives me more than i could ever hope or imagine.

pretty sweet deal for me!

*never dread any consequence resulting from absolute obedience to God's command


what are you waiting for?

is there something that you know you need to do differently, but are just afraid that it will be too hard?

maybe you're afraid of what people will say about you, or think of you.

forget about all of that!!

do it!

trust God!

Give your life completely to Him.

trust me...

your life will never. ever. be the same.