Throughout my lifetime, I have met people that have done one or two different jobs while in high school. They moved on to college, figured out a major and worked in that respective field. Upon graduation, they then got a job that related to their major. Teachers, nurses, reporters, professional students and MRS degrees. I have seen it all... however, in my life, I have noticed that this trend is not the path I have chosen. I will now take you on a journey of the different jobs I have had, different skills I have learned and my plan for the future (as if you did not know some of this already, just bear with me).
Age 15-16 (1999-2000): Food Runner/Porter at Lilac Lanes (I gave people their food, cleaned up their messes and rented lanes to bowlers)
Age 17 (2001): Carl's Jr./Hardees (I worked fast food for about month... DEFINITELY not for me)
Age 17-18 (2002-2003): Lawn Mower/Babysitter (pretty self explanatory... if you have questions, feel free to ask though)
Age 19-21 (2004-2006): Postal Worker at Whitworth University (I sorted mail and packages, sold postage, and did the mail run at the on-campus post office)
Age 22 (2006-2007): Whitworth Paint Crew (I painted dorm rooms and buildings on campus)
Age 23-24 (2007-2009) Skyhawks Sports Camps (I coached and directed sports camps for children ages 3-10)
Age 23 (2007-2008) Graduate Assistant (I filed papers, answered phones and was pretty mush a glorified secretary without the respect)
Age 24 (2009) Student Teacher (Even though this was and unpaid job, it was still a job)
Age 24-25 (2009-2010) Soldier in the US Army (I can shoot, choke people out, lead a group of soldiers through a war zone and figure out HR stuff)
Age 25 (2010) The Knitting Factory (I was a bouncer/event staff... pretty much, I threw drunk people out of concerts)
Age 25 (2010) Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC (I am helping with processes and organization of mass production of the 2011 Honda Odyssey)
Oh, and on top of all these jobs I have two degrees... and BA in English and a MEd. in Secondary Education. I feel that God has blessed me with the ability to adapt to this world. God created me to be smart, studious and a quick learner. He has allowed me to learn many skills and to have many opportunities that will no doubt help me in the long run. I want to be a professional soldier (hopefully an officer) one day and I feel that every job I have had up to this Honda job and all the jobs I will have after will make me a better defender and leader of this GREAT nation.
Praise be to God, for His love and mercy ENDURE FOREVER!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Language of Prayer
Church of the Highlands is right in the middle of 21 days of prayer. An awesome occurrence that encompasses people getting to the church every morning at 0600 for an hour of prayer and worship to God. Today is the 15th day of this amazing journey and although I do not attend every morning (getting up at 0500 to get there can be a little rough), I have spent an hour a day in prayer with God. We, as members, have prayed for the harvest this fall in getting believers to the church and for the power of God to move in our state and our nation. I have also thrown in a few personal prayers and spent the time growing closer and developing a more personal relationship to God. Yesterday, though, I had a breakthrough and I cannot wait to share it with you.
Saturday, August 14th 2010... prayer starts at 0900 on Saturdays, instead of 0600 (which is awesome), but Madison and I still got up at 0630 so that we could ruck 2 miles before prayer, in order to prepare me for Air Assault School (I am crazy, I know it). After we rucked (in pretty good time I might add), we showered and got ready for an awesome time of prayer. We got to the church just as the prayer director was speaking and we found our seats. As I sat listening, my heart became troubled and I could not get into an attitude of worship or prayer. Once he got off stage, we started singing Jesus Messiah and my heart began to turn toward God and I was getting my prayer attitude back (thank God). After worship, we broke off by ourselves and had a half an hour of prayer time on our own before we came back together as a group to pray over the city. I went to my usual spot, which is up high and pretty secluded so that I can worship God, read aloud and pray aloud to my Heavenly Father without distracting anyone else. As I was pacing, I prayed for the people in my life to have boldness and courage when living a life like Christ and for my own strengths and weaknesses (praying thankfulness for my weaknesses because it makes me that much stronger in Christ) Paul talks about this same thing in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. All of a sudden God laid it on my heart to pray for the things of His heart, not mine. So I asked the Spirit of align my thoughts and prayers with that of Christ, that I may seek His plans and goals for my life. I also prayed for clarity when speaking and praying aloud to God, not to stumble over my words so that I may communicate clearly with God. I also asked the Spirit to reveal to me my prayer language (which is a special language given to each believer who has the Spirit as a way of my heart communicating with God in my own individual way). I wanted that special relationship and intimateness with my God, so I asked God to let His spirit come inside and fill me up.
Once we were finished, we gather that the front of the stage to pray over the prayer warriors there and for the city, state and nation, so that the harvest may be plenty. As I was praying with the speaker I felt overwhelmed, like I would not get my words out fast enough. I could envision what I wanted to pray, but the words were not coming out right. I stopped for a minute and thought to myself, why can I not speak clearly? So as I continued to pray in this unintelligible language, it became clear to me that it was my Spirit, my prayer language reaching out to God. Now, for all of you skeptics... a prayer language is very different from speaking in tongues. Tongues in Prophesy is the gift given to few, but everyone who is a believer has their own prayer language. Paul clearly states in 1 Corinthians 14:2 that if a person is praying in tongues, he does not speak to men, but to God... for they are mysteries from the man's spirit. Also in the Book of Acts Paul talks about receiving the Holy Spirit and what happens to a believers when he or she gets baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit. Every single person who TRULY receives the holy Spirit and earnestly seeks to become closer to God has a prayer language. It might be gibberish to others, or have an English accent or whatever, but it is your own unique connection and language with God. SO I pray that you seek out that language and connect with your Father on a whole other level, because let me tell you... it is amazing to be consumed with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Some other helpful verses for prayer:
Jude 1:20
Acts 2:1-5
Mark 14:32-38
Saturday, August 14th 2010... prayer starts at 0900 on Saturdays, instead of 0600 (which is awesome), but Madison and I still got up at 0630 so that we could ruck 2 miles before prayer, in order to prepare me for Air Assault School (I am crazy, I know it). After we rucked (in pretty good time I might add), we showered and got ready for an awesome time of prayer. We got to the church just as the prayer director was speaking and we found our seats. As I sat listening, my heart became troubled and I could not get into an attitude of worship or prayer. Once he got off stage, we started singing Jesus Messiah and my heart began to turn toward God and I was getting my prayer attitude back (thank God). After worship, we broke off by ourselves and had a half an hour of prayer time on our own before we came back together as a group to pray over the city. I went to my usual spot, which is up high and pretty secluded so that I can worship God, read aloud and pray aloud to my Heavenly Father without distracting anyone else. As I was pacing, I prayed for the people in my life to have boldness and courage when living a life like Christ and for my own strengths and weaknesses (praying thankfulness for my weaknesses because it makes me that much stronger in Christ) Paul talks about this same thing in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. All of a sudden God laid it on my heart to pray for the things of His heart, not mine. So I asked the Spirit of align my thoughts and prayers with that of Christ, that I may seek His plans and goals for my life. I also prayed for clarity when speaking and praying aloud to God, not to stumble over my words so that I may communicate clearly with God. I also asked the Spirit to reveal to me my prayer language (which is a special language given to each believer who has the Spirit as a way of my heart communicating with God in my own individual way). I wanted that special relationship and intimateness with my God, so I asked God to let His spirit come inside and fill me up.
Once we were finished, we gather that the front of the stage to pray over the prayer warriors there and for the city, state and nation, so that the harvest may be plenty. As I was praying with the speaker I felt overwhelmed, like I would not get my words out fast enough. I could envision what I wanted to pray, but the words were not coming out right. I stopped for a minute and thought to myself, why can I not speak clearly? So as I continued to pray in this unintelligible language, it became clear to me that it was my Spirit, my prayer language reaching out to God. Now, for all of you skeptics... a prayer language is very different from speaking in tongues. Tongues in Prophesy is the gift given to few, but everyone who is a believer has their own prayer language. Paul clearly states in 1 Corinthians 14:2 that if a person is praying in tongues, he does not speak to men, but to God... for they are mysteries from the man's spirit. Also in the Book of Acts Paul talks about receiving the Holy Spirit and what happens to a believers when he or she gets baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit. Every single person who TRULY receives the holy Spirit and earnestly seeks to become closer to God has a prayer language. It might be gibberish to others, or have an English accent or whatever, but it is your own unique connection and language with God. SO I pray that you seek out that language and connect with your Father on a whole other level, because let me tell you... it is amazing to be consumed with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Some other helpful verses for prayer:
Jude 1:20
Acts 2:1-5
Mark 14:32-38
Thursday, August 12, 2010
New Beginnings
Today I had an interview at Honda Manufacturers of Alabama for a clerical position. Basically I will be entering data and ensuring that safety procedures are being held and maintained for the work environment. It is a temporary job that God has provided until I move to Fort Benning Georgia for Air Assault School. Also, I would get to work in the same general area as Daddy Baker, which is pretty awesome in and of itself. So that is a little information on the job front as I wait on the Army for a more permanent career.
Last night was Wednesday night service at Church of the Highlands and I work in Switch 56 (5th and 6th grade hooligans... er... children). Now sometimes it is hit or miss with my likeness of children. As long as they are behaving and not screaming 24/7. I am cool with kids. Now if they are being ridiculously annoying, screaming, misbehaving and mean, then we are going to have problems. Last night was perfect. Worship was awesome (Like a Lion and How He Loves are amazing presence of God songs and help with dancing for my Lord) and as I wandered into the presence of God the speaker for the night talked about leadership. Later in the night, I was able to lead a small group of 6th grade girls into the topic of being a servant and leader as we head back into this school year. It was awesome to lead those young girls, because i just read the questions and let them do all the talking. I was absolutely blown away by the knowledge that these young girls had in the ways of God, Satan and the way of the world. These girls are so prepared to go back to their schools and be servant leaders to their friends, their enemies and their peers in general, that it makes my heart leap at the impact that they are going to have for the Kingdom of God.
In the last couple weeks, I have grown closer and closer to God. Today, Madison and I had an amazing prayer and worship session in Riley's room that was followed by a great Bible study. I used to fear praying our loud and worshiping anywhere besides church, but now I cannot get enough of it. God is always on my mind and in my heart. I have even gotten up a couple times at 0500 in order to get to Church of the Highlands by 0600 from an hour of prayer with my fellow church members. I love being in God's presence and just in the know that he is always there guiding me, protecting me and motivating me to keep in His ways and on the path He has laid out for me. I cannot wait to see all He has in store for me and the blessings He will pour out in my life!
Last night was Wednesday night service at Church of the Highlands and I work in Switch 56 (5th and 6th grade hooligans... er... children). Now sometimes it is hit or miss with my likeness of children. As long as they are behaving and not screaming 24/7. I am cool with kids. Now if they are being ridiculously annoying, screaming, misbehaving and mean, then we are going to have problems. Last night was perfect. Worship was awesome (Like a Lion and How He Loves are amazing presence of God songs and help with dancing for my Lord) and as I wandered into the presence of God the speaker for the night talked about leadership. Later in the night, I was able to lead a small group of 6th grade girls into the topic of being a servant and leader as we head back into this school year. It was awesome to lead those young girls, because i just read the questions and let them do all the talking. I was absolutely blown away by the knowledge that these young girls had in the ways of God, Satan and the way of the world. These girls are so prepared to go back to their schools and be servant leaders to their friends, their enemies and their peers in general, that it makes my heart leap at the impact that they are going to have for the Kingdom of God.
In the last couple weeks, I have grown closer and closer to God. Today, Madison and I had an amazing prayer and worship session in Riley's room that was followed by a great Bible study. I used to fear praying our loud and worshiping anywhere besides church, but now I cannot get enough of it. God is always on my mind and in my heart. I have even gotten up a couple times at 0500 in order to get to Church of the Highlands by 0600 from an hour of prayer with my fellow church members. I love being in God's presence and just in the know that he is always there guiding me, protecting me and motivating me to keep in His ways and on the path He has laid out for me. I cannot wait to see all He has in store for me and the blessings He will pour out in my life!
Monday, August 9, 2010
It's Been A While!!
Sorry it's been a while since I have had a spare moment to sit in front of the computer and write my adventures on this blog. But let me tell you, I have some pretty amazing stories, one of which I will shard with you. I had drill this weekend (woo hoo for the weekend warriors!!), so I was busy at Fort McClellan for three days. We shot weapons (M16, 203 and the 249 SAW) and took 5-ton driving tests. This was also the first time I got to bond with my unit since my arrival. Out of all the people in my unit I bonded with six pretty stellar soldiers (Steele, Parker, Wallace, Morgan, Morrow and Hurst). On Saturday night, we were all hanging out in the parking lot having a couple beers and just talking about the days events. Side note, Wallace and I were the best 203 shooters in the whole 208th and 440th... Sgt. Ballard was bragging us up all afternoon :) Anyway, so there we were in the parking lot, having some good laughs when Morrow comes out of nowhere and asks me if he can ask a personal question. Since I get this a lot, I know what he is going to say. Then, instead of asking in a tactful way, Morrow blatantly says, "Are you gay?" After we stop laughing (uncontrollably I might add) I tell him no but he seems to not believe me. The whole rest of the night, he keeps asking me if I am sure that I am not gay. It was hilarious and annoying all at the same time. Why do people not believe me? It is actually ridiculous that stereotypes have made it possible for people to be so brainwashed that they find it hard to believe the truth. I don't know what more I can do in order for people to believe that I am not a homosexual.
The next thing I will add deals with some Fort Benning news that I received over the weekend. MSG Boston called me on Friday evening to discuss a new job opportunity. Instead of being at the Warrior Training Center in the S-1 shop doing paperwork all day, MSG Boston wants me to go to Air Assault School and then once I successfully complete the 10-day course I can stay on as a training NCO. He figured I might enjoy it better actually spending the time training soldiers and being more hands on. I agree. I believe that God has opened up this door for me so that I may be able to witness more to the soldiers and be a light in an otherwise dark world. It renewed my energy for wanting to go to Benning and get involved with the soldiers there.
Now about training for Air Assault School... yes I have to train to go to AAS!!! So I am on a rigorous training schedule that is every day except Sunday, which is my one day of rest. Basically, for graduation from Air Assault I have to run two miles in under 18 minutes in my ACUs and running shoes, complete two ruck marches (six miles in under an hour and a half and 12 miles in under three hours), and not be afraid of heights. So yeah, I will doing lots of running, walking and hanging from the pull up bars to build up my core and upper body strength. Today I started off slow with a 1.5 mile run in 13:43... in Bama heat, in pants... so, needless to say I am serious about this training. Mama and I mapped out a two mile trail so that I would not be doing to much repetitive running (which I hate almost as much as running itself) and for my first ruck march trial on Saturday. I am pretty excited about this opportunity although it is going to take much mind and body conditioning. Prayers are recommended and wanted/needed if you feel so inclined. I shall let you know later this week how the training is going. Deuces!
The next thing I will add deals with some Fort Benning news that I received over the weekend. MSG Boston called me on Friday evening to discuss a new job opportunity. Instead of being at the Warrior Training Center in the S-1 shop doing paperwork all day, MSG Boston wants me to go to Air Assault School and then once I successfully complete the 10-day course I can stay on as a training NCO. He figured I might enjoy it better actually spending the time training soldiers and being more hands on. I agree. I believe that God has opened up this door for me so that I may be able to witness more to the soldiers and be a light in an otherwise dark world. It renewed my energy for wanting to go to Benning and get involved with the soldiers there.
Now about training for Air Assault School... yes I have to train to go to AAS!!! So I am on a rigorous training schedule that is every day except Sunday, which is my one day of rest. Basically, for graduation from Air Assault I have to run two miles in under 18 minutes in my ACUs and running shoes, complete two ruck marches (six miles in under an hour and a half and 12 miles in under three hours), and not be afraid of heights. So yeah, I will doing lots of running, walking and hanging from the pull up bars to build up my core and upper body strength. Today I started off slow with a 1.5 mile run in 13:43... in Bama heat, in pants... so, needless to say I am serious about this training. Mama and I mapped out a two mile trail so that I would not be doing to much repetitive running (which I hate almost as much as running itself) and for my first ruck march trial on Saturday. I am pretty excited about this opportunity although it is going to take much mind and body conditioning. Prayers are recommended and wanted/needed if you feel so inclined. I shall let you know later this week how the training is going. Deuces!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Who Said It Was Okay?!
As of late there has been something on my mind... actually I think it is on a lot of people's minds. Trends. Twitter has trending topics (#followedbytrend) and it seems when one or two people start wearing or saying something, within weeks it is a full fledged trend (hand hugs, good games, balls man). I have been constantly seeing little patterns that show up everywhere and as I was ranting this morning, Mama and I got to talking about trends and why they come about. This blog is to inform you of some of the things that are going on in today's world and to ask the question described by my face below: WHY?!
Everywhere I go (which is mainly Wal-Mart, Church of the Highlands and the Starbucks at Trussville) there are girls (and grown women) who wear nothing but running shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops, with their hair in a messy bun. Oh and these are not just any running shorts, they are short, shorts and an overly large shirt. Why? I can understand runners doing it after practice, but anyone, anytime during the day... come on now, this trend is just ridiculous. Who decided that one day they were going to wear shorts and a tee shirt EVERYWHERE?! Mama said this was popular when she was growing up in the 70's and 80's... but why now, again?
From this tangent, Mama dove into the topic of hairstyles and trends in general. The faux hawk (which I rock almost daily) was not a popular trend until very recently. Only one or two guys are known for this unique hairstyle. David Boreanez (Angel) from the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, had a stellar faux hawk, as did famous soccer player David Beckham. Nowadays, everyone and their mother (literally) has a faux hawk. But who decided that it was cool rock the faux hawk?
Another thing is the whole vampire thing... I watched Buffy when it was in it's prime (1999-2006). In no way was it cool to be a vampire, but it was cool to slay them. Unless, it was Angel or Spike, all vampires were evil, demons. Vampires were in now way, sparkly and cuddly. They did not have super powers, other than sub-human strength. How come Buffy died out, then less that three years later, the whole world wants to be like the Cullen family and drink Tru-Blood. This is the trend that is the most disturbing...
The same thing can be debated for skinny jeans and most of the crazy fashion of today's world... what ever happened to being original? I guess that is where all the trends come from. Someone decided to be original and other people saw it and created a fashion trend. I saw a quote that sums all of this up on a Mike's Hard lemonade bottle, "If you are going to be original, count on being copied". I guess we have the original people of the world to hold responsible as the reason for having so many trends. This in turn, begs the question, "Is it really that good to be original if all it does is create little armies of copies who will just cling to the next trend a week later?"
Does anyone think about this stuff as well?!
Everywhere I go (which is mainly Wal-Mart, Church of the Highlands and the Starbucks at Trussville) there are girls (and grown women) who wear nothing but running shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops, with their hair in a messy bun. Oh and these are not just any running shorts, they are short, shorts and an overly large shirt. Why? I can understand runners doing it after practice, but anyone, anytime during the day... come on now, this trend is just ridiculous. Who decided that one day they were going to wear shorts and a tee shirt EVERYWHERE?! Mama said this was popular when she was growing up in the 70's and 80's... but why now, again?
From this tangent, Mama dove into the topic of hairstyles and trends in general. The faux hawk (which I rock almost daily) was not a popular trend until very recently. Only one or two guys are known for this unique hairstyle. David Boreanez (Angel) from the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, had a stellar faux hawk, as did famous soccer player David Beckham. Nowadays, everyone and their mother (literally) has a faux hawk. But who decided that it was cool rock the faux hawk?
Another thing is the whole vampire thing... I watched Buffy when it was in it's prime (1999-2006). In no way was it cool to be a vampire, but it was cool to slay them. Unless, it was Angel or Spike, all vampires were evil, demons. Vampires were in now way, sparkly and cuddly. They did not have super powers, other than sub-human strength. How come Buffy died out, then less that three years later, the whole world wants to be like the Cullen family and drink Tru-Blood. This is the trend that is the most disturbing...
The same thing can be debated for skinny jeans and most of the crazy fashion of today's world... what ever happened to being original? I guess that is where all the trends come from. Someone decided to be original and other people saw it and created a fashion trend. I saw a quote that sums all of this up on a Mike's Hard lemonade bottle, "If you are going to be original, count on being copied". I guess we have the original people of the world to hold responsible as the reason for having so many trends. This in turn, begs the question, "Is it really that good to be original if all it does is create little armies of copies who will just cling to the next trend a week later?"
Does anyone think about this stuff as well?!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Vine.
As I was reading through my One Year Bible, I noticed that sometimes the Bible can be more history than helpful information regarding spiritual growth (i.e. OT geneologies, letter condolences, etc). So I veered off the path of Chronicles and the benediction of Romans, and ventured toward the Book of John. I decided to read Chapter 15, which deals with the believers and their relationship with the Father, with other believers and with the world. Perhaps this chapter is most famous for Jesus' metaphor for the vine and the branches. From this reading, I had an in-depth conversation with Mama about the Calvinistic views of pre-destination and who does the choosing. I follow Calvin's views that God has a Book of Life and in it He has chosen those who will live and those who will not. The Father saved everyone through the sacrifice of Christ; however, there are some people who still do not believe Jesus is the Messiah. God meant for everyone to be saved, but for those people who have hardened their hearts to the love of Jesus and God; they will not spend eternity in the presence of God. In John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." How blessed am I that He chose me and I answered the calling so that I may bear fruit and do what I was created to do? So blessed!!
Now onto news in the Army sense... Yesterday I called MSG Boston (he is my contact sergeant and the NCO who hired me for the Fort Benning job) and got some information on when I would be going to Fort Benning. MSG Boston tells me that the NGB (National Guard Bureau, who will be paying my salary once I get orders) has put new regulations on how soldiers go about applying for these ADOS-RC jobs. Not to worry, the only set back is that I had to start from the beginning with the application process and he needed approval for the jobs in his budget. But no fear, his budget was in the black and he will get all the jobs he budgeted for. I had all the documents already, if should not take long. Also, the whole thing is done online and all of my paperwork is already uploaded. MSG Boston sent me the link to the website that I was to go to and submit my resume online so it could start the chain for the release to be signed. In the meantime, I just need to wait for the NGB to upload all the jobs so I can apply for that specific job in Fort Benning.
So pretty much, the job is mine and whether it takes two days or two months for me to get there, the job will be waiting for me. And with this new online system, MSG Boston can track where my release papers are and if they are being signed or in wait (he said the two days is too long for a paper to sit on someone's desk). It shouldn't be that much longer and the Lord is faithful. As long as I remain in Him, He will remain in me and whatever I ask of Him will be given to me :)
Now onto news in the Army sense... Yesterday I called MSG Boston (he is my contact sergeant and the NCO who hired me for the Fort Benning job) and got some information on when I would be going to Fort Benning. MSG Boston tells me that the NGB (National Guard Bureau, who will be paying my salary once I get orders) has put new regulations on how soldiers go about applying for these ADOS-RC jobs. Not to worry, the only set back is that I had to start from the beginning with the application process and he needed approval for the jobs in his budget. But no fear, his budget was in the black and he will get all the jobs he budgeted for. I had all the documents already, if should not take long. Also, the whole thing is done online and all of my paperwork is already uploaded. MSG Boston sent me the link to the website that I was to go to and submit my resume online so it could start the chain for the release to be signed. In the meantime, I just need to wait for the NGB to upload all the jobs so I can apply for that specific job in Fort Benning.
So pretty much, the job is mine and whether it takes two days or two months for me to get there, the job will be waiting for me. And with this new online system, MSG Boston can track where my release papers are and if they are being signed or in wait (he said the two days is too long for a paper to sit on someone's desk). It shouldn't be that much longer and the Lord is faithful. As long as I remain in Him, He will remain in me and whatever I ask of Him will be given to me :)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Spiritual. Highs. Hmmm.
This weekend was amazing yet I have my reservations about it. The last night of MOTION was insane... God's presence was definitely in Church of the Highlands and we could all feel it. I came home, on Saturday night, with a renewed energy that could only be from the Spirit of God. However, Sunday morning at church, I felt like something was lacking. I asked God this weekend to reveal himself to me and to show me his glory, much like Moses did in the OT. In Exodus 34:29-35, God came to Moses on the mountain top and spoke to him. When Moses went back down the mountain, the Israelites were afraid to look at him because his face was radiant. It shown with the glory of God from being in his presence. From then on, Moses would put a veil on his face while talking to the people of God because it was less distracting when the glory started to fade. Much like during and after a spiritual high, we tend to be on cloud nine while in the presence of God and then we crash, it can be distracting, not only to us who are sharing the faith, but to those who are hearing the faith as well.
Paul revisits this story about Moses in 2 Corinthians 3:13-17 when he is using the veil as a metaphor for what covers our hearts. I was a little confused on what was trying to be said in the scriptures, so I looked to my MacArthur study notes for a little more guidance. The physical action of Moses veil, described by Paul, is that Moses lacked the confidence and boldness that Paul had because the Old Covenant was shadowy and obscure. Paul then says that the same veil remains, yet it is over the heart. The veil represents unbelief; the Israelites had unbelief because they could not grasp the glory of the Old Covenant. Moses face was too bright to handle for they because they could not understand God. MacArthur states that, "The veil of ignorance obscures the meaning of the Old Covenant to the hardened heart."
Paul and Moses have shed new light on dealing with my spiritual high. I don't need to have a mountain top experience and to see little glimpse of God's glory. Moses was the only one who saw God and the rest of the Israelites hid their faces in fear of God. Yet, Paul states in the New Testament that since we have a new covenant with Jesus, we have everything. We have the confidence and boldness to approach God. Having the New Testament and a new life in Christ is how we are able to interpret and understand the Old Testament. Since our veil is lifted, we can see the glory of God in Christ.
Just living in a daily walk with Christ and in constant prayer with him is how I can remain in His glory always and not experience a crash after a Spiritual High. I believe that it is actually nicer to just live day to day in the glory of God through Christ rather just experience a once a year overly amazing Jesus experience. Although MOTION was awesome and it helped to renew my spirit, staying in daily communion with God is the only way that I can keep God's glory from fading in my life and be able to be the leader God has called me to be.
Paul revisits this story about Moses in 2 Corinthians 3:13-17 when he is using the veil as a metaphor for what covers our hearts. I was a little confused on what was trying to be said in the scriptures, so I looked to my MacArthur study notes for a little more guidance. The physical action of Moses veil, described by Paul, is that Moses lacked the confidence and boldness that Paul had because the Old Covenant was shadowy and obscure. Paul then says that the same veil remains, yet it is over the heart. The veil represents unbelief; the Israelites had unbelief because they could not grasp the glory of the Old Covenant. Moses face was too bright to handle for they because they could not understand God. MacArthur states that, "The veil of ignorance obscures the meaning of the Old Covenant to the hardened heart."
Paul and Moses have shed new light on dealing with my spiritual high. I don't need to have a mountain top experience and to see little glimpse of God's glory. Moses was the only one who saw God and the rest of the Israelites hid their faces in fear of God. Yet, Paul states in the New Testament that since we have a new covenant with Jesus, we have everything. We have the confidence and boldness to approach God. Having the New Testament and a new life in Christ is how we are able to interpret and understand the Old Testament. Since our veil is lifted, we can see the glory of God in Christ.
Just living in a daily walk with Christ and in constant prayer with him is how I can remain in His glory always and not experience a crash after a Spiritual High. I believe that it is actually nicer to just live day to day in the glory of God through Christ rather just experience a once a year overly amazing Jesus experience. Although MOTION was awesome and it helped to renew my spirit, staying in daily communion with God is the only way that I can keep God's glory from fading in my life and be able to be the leader God has called me to be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)