He is jealous for me

I have been hearing a song in my head for over a week now...it's David Crowder's How He Loves Us. "He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree. Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy...." He wants my time, my thoughts, my prayers, he pursues me, is jealous over me. It just overwhelms me.

Bible study last week (Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer)...well, here's a funny thing...the 3rd week didn't "work" on me like the first 2 did and I figured I must have not been paying close enough attention. When we met on Thursday, turns out I wasn't the only one. We all sort of felt like we had missed something or hadn't paid attention, but it just didn't have that "Ah ha!" moment of the previous weeks.
That is...until the video. God is so good. He tied in the song in my head with the lessons I'd been reading all week.

So here is what I learned over the week:
Day 1 - God is persistent (can I get an AMEN on that one?). He will try to get our attention over and over again, He doesn't stop, he continues to persue us. I love that word...persue. He will permeate our hearts and thoughts when we are intimate with him. I love that word too...permeate. Just imagine God so personally persuing you and permeating your heart with Him.

Day 2 - Well, this was my "ouch" day. When God speaks to us, to me, through the Holy Spirit, when I'm convicted of something...that DOESN'T MEAN it's for everyone else. It's for me, individually and personally...not for my friends or others I think need to hear it b/c they aren't doing what I think is right. That's a hard one. We aren't to hold others in bondage over OUR personal convictions from God, they have their own...who are we to say theirs are wrong if they are doing what they feel God is leading them to do? (These are believers I'm talking about here)

Day 3 - On the flip side of that, we may be given freedoms by the Holy Spirit that others are not and we are not to allow our freedoms to harm other believers (nor judge others for THEIR freedoms). I feel free in certain books and movies that I read and watch, but I have some friends who do not feel those same freedoms. I must be aware of that and not push my freedoms on them or let my freedoms cause them to stumble or doubt. "Keeping a fellow believer from stumbling trumps our personal freedoms". That doesn't mean to tell them what we think they should believe or do or act, it means backing off of our freedoms when in the company of those do not feel lead in the same freedoms.

Day 4 - Anything the Spirit reveals to us will always, always, always match up with what the Bible says. no exceptions, God doesn't contradict Himself. So when in doubt, read, learn, hide his word in your heart and go back to it. Another word I love...saturate. Saturate yourself in His word.

Day 5 - "When God speaks, a calm and steady force accomanies His Word and impacts your soul. While your mind will try to rationalize and convince, God's voice simply speaks and its effectiveness conveys His authority." The Holy Spirit's authority comes from God, I can trust what I feel from him without a doubt. He wants to amaze me, to strike me with His word (Jer. 23:29)

Back on Day 2, we were to make a list of people (by initials only) we have judged based on our own personal convictions. Not fun. at. all. But I did it and here's my funny God (not ha ha funny!)...as I continued on with the study, every 5 seconds (I kid you not), more names came to mind and I had to write them down. My list is huge...in fact my note in the margins says "Geez, who have I NOT judged? Can we stop now?" I mean he brought to mind even the smallest things I had judged. But then, just as God does for us, I placed a line through each one after asking God's forgiveness, this symbolized THEIR release from the bondage I had placed them under, whether knowingly or not. There were a couple I felt God asking to me actually go to and ask forgiveness. It's hard to do that, especially when they might not even have realized, but I did, I knew what I had done.

And then the video...oh, the video...here are just some of my notes because it's hard to summarize it all:
~My God knows me. He knows how much leeway (freedoms) to give ME, personally. he knows what I can handle, what book I can handle, what movie I can handle and what I can't. Don't worry about other's and what he allows for them (stop that judging!). Go with your "gut instinct" (Holy Spirit talking to you) and obey.
~If I turn away when I get disappointed then I'm not seeking God, but what He can do for me. (2 Chron. 15:15 - They EARNESTLY sought after God)
~As you press into God, He gives your heart HIS desires which become yours.
~The Holy Spirit makes your heart content with God's directions.
~Just read and get to know God, get to know His character...HE IS EVERYTHING.

I love this...and it goes back to last week's lesson...searching for God, not just his will. "God is not a heavenly version of Google - we are to search HIM not search for information from Him."

I hope this week, you can spend just a little time in the bible, draw close to Him, let Him work on you. It's not always pleasant but the joy that comes from obedience is truly worth it all.