Wednesday, March 5, 2008

I never know...

I sometimes don't realize when God is talking to me...perhaps that is because of the busy-ness of my schedule, or the fact that i sometimes ignore it. It's strange. God has actually talked to me a lot over the past week or so, especially on some things that i didn't understand.
Last Monday night i had gotten home from work and was blessed by a UTI. I know, how exciting. And the funny part was everyone kept saying that it could be caused by being dehydrated or by having too much sex. Let's be serious, i'm dating a pastor and we don't have sex...so i'm thinking the fact that i was dehydrated or i was taking too many medications for the flu/cold thing i had contributed to it. Anyway...i got home from work and i decided to take a hot bath since i wasn't feeling too hot. I climb in the tub with my Bible...It's so peaceful in the bathtub sometimes. So i start reading and i was on 2 Peter 2...talking about false teachers and their destruction. It didn't make a bunch of sense at the time, but that was God preparing me for what was to come.
Tuesday night at Bible Study i found out some hurtful news and several shocking things actually. As many of you read this blog, you already know what it was...but someone that i love dearly and look up to is really lost right now in faith. And she has been going to a different Church that is a lot different in their beliefs than what I believe. When she was talking i kept thinking to myself "No no no, this isn't right!" And then i came back to that verse. God was letting me know that what she was believing isn't what i'm believing, and to just pray for her. So i've been doing that...a lot.
But the challenge has been amazing. I have been digging into the word and doing a lot of research, and really just been focusing on why i believe what i believe. I came to the conclusion that i have had many amazing teachers in my life. Some spiritually and others in terms of self destruction. I call these people great teachers because they help me to focus on growing myself. I learned, however, that no amount of teaching can make me believe what i believe unless i investigate it myself. And i believe what i believe because the Bible is God breathed and it speaks 110% truth into my life. What a blessing to be challenged and what i blessing to hear what God says!!!

On Sunday another dear friend came to me with struggles on being judgemental. She said that she is judgemental of people who aren't believers and asked me to pray with her. I did and she said she felt really good on trying to not be that way. What i realized in the process is God was telling me that i was being judgemental too!!! I was being judgemental about this whole situation with the other girl and her beliefs. God is telling me to stop being judgemental and continue to pray and to TRUST that he will do the right thing.

So for those of you who read this, please pray for that. I have been totally convicted by it and i praise God for that. It hurts but i understand that right now he is growing me in another area. And just praises that he speaks to us...sometimes when we don't really understand it at the time, but also that he uses other people to speak truth to our lives.

God is awesome.
"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal" Isaiah 26:4

2 comments:

STEPHANIE. said...

Julie,
we have been through a lot in the past week...and yes I believe being judgemental is hard at this point. I will be in prayer. But what an amazing opportunity it has been for us to really dig into God's word. I really have enjoyed your fellowship. :)

Heather said...

What a great post! I do believe that God is always talking to us, it's just a matter of listening. It has been a challenging and amazing week all at the same time! :) Love you!