God searches, examines and tests my hidden character and motives. He desires truth in the innermost being. This is what God does to all who dare to call themselves his disciples. These things aren't really done for non-Christians since they are already under universal judgement for sin. However, in the life of the believer, these are the real trials and victories that are symbolized by our "external" trials. In other words, what I perceive as a trail is not really the trial. The trial and response God is looking for is deep inside my subconscious. The purpose of the trial at the deepest level is the help build my inner character. This pleases God. At a superficial level, the purpose of the trail is to trust God to get through it but unless I see the bigger picture here, I am actually missing out on a key understanding.
I realize that God wan't me to be holy as he is holy. I reailize he desires truth in the innermost being. His means for doing that is to first make sure I identify with Him as a disciple - a committed follower. Once I have the courage to do that, then my real character is tested from within continuously. Implied in this is that non-committed Christians or non-christians do not receive the same priveledge. Why is this a prividelege insteasd of an oblibgation or extra burden put upon the godly man? We God care enought about me to make me more like Himself everday. As such, I can become a become a bigger receiver and can handle more of Gods ultimate plan. The only one I hurt by not understanding this process and vision is myself. I cut myself out of God's plan for my own life or I don't get to participate fully. As such I will not be a happy as I can be in life.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Psalm 7 Why I often mistake punishment for discipline
My only protection in life if from you. Everthing else that appears to be security is an illusion.
I undetstand David when He trys to negotiate with You, God. I often will say to God that punish me if I have really done something intential to someone else, otherwise why am I going through this trial? It feels like punishment, yet I know that I am innocent. Some things I have come to recently realize that in situations like this
1) You are not really punishing me, even though it may feel like that to me. It's like a child confusing punishment for discipline.
2) I'm really not so innocent. Though I didn't intend any harm, I don't really know my self well enought to know what my motives were and after learning to see reality, these are not always as pure as I think they are. They are often loss of control or inability to react correctly which results in further anger by the other person.
3) Because these things go on without my knowledge and are a part of how my unique mind operates, you are kind and forgiving and choose to disciple me. The only real way for me to learn is via a trail so I can believe and learn for my self and grow thru the problem.
Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. Its just like being a parent. Iniitially, we want to bypass trials and protect our kids from "bad" experiences. As we mature, we realize that they must respond appropriately and find their own way and that takes time and experience in a growth process that we call a trial. As we mature more, we realize that our kids aren't so innocent after all. They may not realize how their mind works and causes unfavorable reactions to life situations and hostile people, however they are still responsible and accountable for their part of the behavior.
These are all freeing thoughts for me this morning as I realize that all of the above can be fixed, although not quickly. Half the solution any problem is to understand the problem and accept the problem first.
I undetstand David when He trys to negotiate with You, God. I often will say to God that punish me if I have really done something intential to someone else, otherwise why am I going through this trial? It feels like punishment, yet I know that I am innocent. Some things I have come to recently realize that in situations like this
1) You are not really punishing me, even though it may feel like that to me. It's like a child confusing punishment for discipline.
2) I'm really not so innocent. Though I didn't intend any harm, I don't really know my self well enought to know what my motives were and after learning to see reality, these are not always as pure as I think they are. They are often loss of control or inability to react correctly which results in further anger by the other person.
3) Because these things go on without my knowledge and are a part of how my unique mind operates, you are kind and forgiving and choose to disciple me. The only real way for me to learn is via a trail so I can believe and learn for my self and grow thru the problem.
Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. Its just like being a parent. Iniitially, we want to bypass trials and protect our kids from "bad" experiences. As we mature, we realize that they must respond appropriately and find their own way and that takes time and experience in a growth process that we call a trial. As we mature more, we realize that our kids aren't so innocent after all. They may not realize how their mind works and causes unfavorable reactions to life situations and hostile people, however they are still responsible and accountable for their part of the behavior.
These are all freeing thoughts for me this morning as I realize that all of the above can be fixed, although not quickly. Half the solution any problem is to understand the problem and accept the problem first.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Psalm 6 - Reason Forgivess is Important, Proper way to request things from God
Thank you that when I do blow it and sin you don't hold it against me. I realize that when I ask your forgiveness and humble myself before you, then I receive the healing of your forgiveness and can go on with my life. That is why the process of making peace with you and others is important. I am always forgiven for my sin because of Your promise even if I don't pray or ask for forgiveness. But unless I make peace with you and others via confession, I myself will not FEEL forgiven, nor BEHAVE like I am forgiven. The process was masterfully created for me as a PRACTICAL means of going on and not as a THEOLOGICAL means for me to be back in your good graces.
I have misunderstood this most of my life. Thank you for reveling this to me during the reading of your word this morning.
Persistence and humility in praying and asking You for things is a winning combination and better it is your prescribed means of requesting something from You O Lord. Help me to ask for things in your prescribed way and not in the way I think I should be doing. As such I repeat my prayer this morning for success at my work and ask for a spirit of humility to overcome the pride as my prayer is answered. Your name O Lord will be glorified to those around me as long as I don't interfere with the process or attempt to take credit for the process. My job is to relax, enjoy the ride and let the Holy Spirit give me the wisdom to move me closer and closer to the character you want me to be.
I have misunderstood this most of my life. Thank you for reveling this to me during the reading of your word this morning.
Persistence and humility in praying and asking You for things is a winning combination and better it is your prescribed means of requesting something from You O Lord. Help me to ask for things in your prescribed way and not in the way I think I should be doing. As such I repeat my prayer this morning for success at my work and ask for a spirit of humility to overcome the pride as my prayer is answered. Your name O Lord will be glorified to those around me as long as I don't interfere with the process or attempt to take credit for the process. My job is to relax, enjoy the ride and let the Holy Spirit give me the wisdom to move me closer and closer to the character you want me to be.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Psalm 5
Thank you for your promise that you bless the righteous man. Also for the FACT that your surround him with FAVOR as with a shield. I need this assurance constantly that I am not alone. I am waiting for you to bless me Oh Lord. Grant me the patience to wait on you and not miss the process of living while I'm waiting. This is a real challenge. Can Premal Patel enjoy life waiting on the fullfillment of my business goals while I wait on the future result?
Knowing that you will bless me eventually and knowing that in the meantime you will be on my side teaching me every step of the way is highly motiviational for me.
Yesterday I learned that everyday my attitude is to "order" my prayer to you and then "eagerly" watch for results. I understand what this means. I should not pray passively and wonder what you will do. I should be praying actively and realizing that things are set in motion and be actively engaged in obtaining a response - favorable or not.
This morning, my prayer is for your to teach me new and exciting things so I may be 1% smarter in my business. Give to me supreme confidence and courage as this is what it will take for me to think and behave like a superstar. I am glad that I have no ordinary business goals. My goals involve super star-dome but in your prescribed way, not my own.
I can do it because I have been called to do it. May the Lord keep me from all distractions and temptations to give up and move to lesser goals. I praise your from my office.
Knowing that you will bless me eventually and knowing that in the meantime you will be on my side teaching me every step of the way is highly motiviational for me.
Yesterday I learned that everyday my attitude is to "order" my prayer to you and then "eagerly" watch for results. I understand what this means. I should not pray passively and wonder what you will do. I should be praying actively and realizing that things are set in motion and be actively engaged in obtaining a response - favorable or not.
This morning, my prayer is for your to teach me new and exciting things so I may be 1% smarter in my business. Give to me supreme confidence and courage as this is what it will take for me to think and behave like a superstar. I am glad that I have no ordinary business goals. My goals involve super star-dome but in your prescribed way, not my own.
I can do it because I have been called to do it. May the Lord keep me from all distractions and temptations to give up and move to lesser goals. I praise your from my office.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Psalm 4 - I am set apart by God for Himself - Quite a Reservation!
I am inspired that "God has set apart the godly man for Himself". This means that God believes I am special enough to separate out from the rest of humanity. In this privileged position, I get to pray to Him and mediate on His Word. I get to do the right thing at all times to please Him. I get to trust Him. The things I formerly viewed as acts of service or worse rules and burdens are in FACT, privileges for me because God has set me apart for His special purpose.
What are the results for me when viewing life correctly through God's eyes and the way it was intended before sin? Well, I get to be at peace deep within knowing that everything is going to be all right. I have joy inside of me that is less and less tied to my outward circumstances. I get to sleep in peace and wake up in sleep. And the best of all, I get to look forward to my future, including old age, with excitement instead of the routine to finish off like or as a thing to be endured.
What are the results for me when viewing life correctly through God's eyes and the way it was intended before sin? Well, I get to be at peace deep within knowing that everything is going to be all right. I have joy inside of me that is less and less tied to my outward circumstances. I get to sleep in peace and wake up in sleep. And the best of all, I get to look forward to my future, including old age, with excitement instead of the routine to finish off like or as a thing to be endured.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Psalm 3
I am in a situation where it's easy for others to say that this time the problems are overwhelming. Perhaps God has pulled me through in the past, but this time around it's too great and he should go under. There's no way out and God has finally failed me.
Then I remember how in the past, I have felt this way time and time again and you have always came through for me. My testimony that I am still here proves this. The truth of Your word is that I will never go down by being overwhelmed unless I choose to reject You and Your word. My time will come when you call me home to be with you but this will not be in negative circumstances. This Psalm reminds of the specific ways in which you help me in tough times so I KNOW with great confidence that I will come out of it and this time will not be an exception.
1. You are a shield surrounding me. No situation or health concern will ever reach me unless it first goes by you and you approve it. There are no surprises in life for You, just for me. As a filter to what will eventully effect me, you are a shield from the really bad stuff that will take me out forever and your filter only lets in things that you know I need to work out for me to be a better person. As such, it is a controlled experiment and I can deal with that.
2. You are the one who LIFT my head. My own pride will not be what allows me to lift my head high above everyone when I overcome my present trial. However, the humility that you have given to me will allow me to claim victory that lasts and cannot be taken away. I already have my complete dignity. Whatever I perceived as lost, you will give back to me.
3. You sustain me. I am only able to persevere through my circumstance because of my long term habit I have cultivated of trusting you and depending on you. Otherwise, I would have given up a long time ago. This kind of faith and conviction is priceless. The knowledge that you will eventually deliver me gives me the motivation to keep going regardess of how slow I think the deliverance is.
4. I will not be afraid. I have read that there is really one one primary fear - the fear of dying or not existing any more. All other fears directly or indirectly stem for this one primary fear. If this is the case, then my greatest fear is already taken care of. I am saved and will "never" die. I will live with You forever and ever. With this fear gone, what can I really be afraid of? Everything else is a fear that I can actually do something about, if I choose, since it would not be beyond overcoming. Also, if I think about the time you have delivered me in the past and how I have always come out "better" in the end as a result of trials, I again come to the conclusion that I don't have to be afaid, unless I choose to. Well I choose not to. Life is too short and I only have one shot of life. I want my life to count in a meaning way for God. I want to say that I did the work God set before me in a successfuly way and I brough as many people as I could to the light. Living itself is a risk moment by moment and day by day, so I really should be afraid of taking risks like starting my own business becasue the return is greater than the potential loss. In a very real way, I will not be afraid because I CHOOSE to believe this from God's word.
5. God will take care of my enemies/obstacles. There are always people waiting for my faith to fail, my health to fail and my finances to fail. Instead of wishing ill on them, I choose to view that as a opportunity to believe that God will ultimately prevent their bad intents, thoughts and actions from ruining His plans for me. I also hope that as a result of what people see in my life that some of those will actually turn to God themselves and join in on the joy of living - the "fun" or "high" of life that many are seeking and don't seem to find. I too was a seeker and now I'm a believer. For the doubting, it works! For the intelligent, the truth is hidden in plain sight. There is no need to look too hard for the secret of happiness and eternal life. Use your instinct and intuition and you will realize that joy in life is one thought away.
Furthermore, all around me will look and behold
Then I remember how in the past, I have felt this way time and time again and you have always came through for me. My testimony that I am still here proves this. The truth of Your word is that I will never go down by being overwhelmed unless I choose to reject You and Your word. My time will come when you call me home to be with you but this will not be in negative circumstances. This Psalm reminds of the specific ways in which you help me in tough times so I KNOW with great confidence that I will come out of it and this time will not be an exception.
1. You are a shield surrounding me. No situation or health concern will ever reach me unless it first goes by you and you approve it. There are no surprises in life for You, just for me. As a filter to what will eventully effect me, you are a shield from the really bad stuff that will take me out forever and your filter only lets in things that you know I need to work out for me to be a better person. As such, it is a controlled experiment and I can deal with that.
2. You are the one who LIFT my head. My own pride will not be what allows me to lift my head high above everyone when I overcome my present trial. However, the humility that you have given to me will allow me to claim victory that lasts and cannot be taken away. I already have my complete dignity. Whatever I perceived as lost, you will give back to me.
3. You sustain me. I am only able to persevere through my circumstance because of my long term habit I have cultivated of trusting you and depending on you. Otherwise, I would have given up a long time ago. This kind of faith and conviction is priceless. The knowledge that you will eventually deliver me gives me the motivation to keep going regardess of how slow I think the deliverance is.
4. I will not be afraid. I have read that there is really one one primary fear - the fear of dying or not existing any more. All other fears directly or indirectly stem for this one primary fear. If this is the case, then my greatest fear is already taken care of. I am saved and will "never" die. I will live with You forever and ever. With this fear gone, what can I really be afraid of? Everything else is a fear that I can actually do something about, if I choose, since it would not be beyond overcoming. Also, if I think about the time you have delivered me in the past and how I have always come out "better" in the end as a result of trials, I again come to the conclusion that I don't have to be afaid, unless I choose to. Well I choose not to. Life is too short and I only have one shot of life. I want my life to count in a meaning way for God. I want to say that I did the work God set before me in a successfuly way and I brough as many people as I could to the light. Living itself is a risk moment by moment and day by day, so I really should be afraid of taking risks like starting my own business becasue the return is greater than the potential loss. In a very real way, I will not be afraid because I CHOOSE to believe this from God's word.
5. God will take care of my enemies/obstacles. There are always people waiting for my faith to fail, my health to fail and my finances to fail. Instead of wishing ill on them, I choose to view that as a opportunity to believe that God will ultimately prevent their bad intents, thoughts and actions from ruining His plans for me. I also hope that as a result of what people see in my life that some of those will actually turn to God themselves and join in on the joy of living - the "fun" or "high" of life that many are seeking and don't seem to find. I too was a seeker and now I'm a believer. For the doubting, it works! For the intelligent, the truth is hidden in plain sight. There is no need to look too hard for the secret of happiness and eternal life. Use your instinct and intuition and you will realize that joy in life is one thought away.
Furthermore, all around me will look and behold
Friday, December 3, 2010
Psalm 2
David is puzzled by the fact that the rulers and people of the world oppose God and dosen't understand why. In fact, the people oppose God specifically to get rid of what they believe is a set of rules on them they feel are too harsh or impossible to follow and they feel chained up in handcuffs by Gods laws. The desire to be "rid" of God's watchful eye and the "exercution" of our rights to be individuals is universal among all of us and is a part of our sin makeup. I can see why David was puzzled. After I became a Christian, I stopped thinking as I once did and now realize that I was foolish to side with the losing team. God has nothing but the best planned for me and he made me for a specific purpose. How can or why would he at the same time withold things or shackle me down with frustrating rules? From a logical sense, with clear thinking, this does not and cannot make any sense.
God's response is to scoff and infuriate them even more but stating point blank that I too have a King - the Christ - that I will have to rule from Jerusalem, which in turn angers them even more.
I think that God is setting down the law here by stating either change the way you think about me or perish with the enemy. The problem is not God but in my own thinking about what I personally believe and think about God. When I think like this, it doesn't match the reality of the world as God created it. Since I am creating my own reality in my mind and trying to following this personal reality to its own conclusion, it would make sense to break free of God's rule. But this can never happend. I must cleanse my thinking and relook at like to see if my belief about this is accurate and works in the real world. Well with my experience, I definately didn't get anywhere thinking of God as a freedom restrictor and supplier of trials to wear me down. Other than not being true, this thinking has nothing to offer me other than frustration, depression and ultimately a life that is useless to receive God's blessing.
Finally, David intercedes and asks all rulers and judges to be discerning, realize that their attitute is wrong, not God's ways, and to jon God's side, the winning side, by paying homage to Jesus. In doing this they will be blessed and protected from the day of disaster to come. The reason this is right and works is that now my thinking will be aligned with the reality of how the world works, how God works and His plan for salvation. Knowing this, I am less and less tempted to think that God has it in for me on certain days.
God's response is to scoff and infuriate them even more but stating point blank that I too have a King - the Christ - that I will have to rule from Jerusalem, which in turn angers them even more.
I think that God is setting down the law here by stating either change the way you think about me or perish with the enemy. The problem is not God but in my own thinking about what I personally believe and think about God. When I think like this, it doesn't match the reality of the world as God created it. Since I am creating my own reality in my mind and trying to following this personal reality to its own conclusion, it would make sense to break free of God's rule. But this can never happend. I must cleanse my thinking and relook at like to see if my belief about this is accurate and works in the real world. Well with my experience, I definately didn't get anywhere thinking of God as a freedom restrictor and supplier of trials to wear me down. Other than not being true, this thinking has nothing to offer me other than frustration, depression and ultimately a life that is useless to receive God's blessing.
Finally, David intercedes and asks all rulers and judges to be discerning, realize that their attitute is wrong, not God's ways, and to jon God's side, the winning side, by paying homage to Jesus. In doing this they will be blessed and protected from the day of disaster to come. The reason this is right and works is that now my thinking will be aligned with the reality of how the world works, how God works and His plan for salvation. Knowing this, I am less and less tempted to think that God has it in for me on certain days.
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