Created by James E. Woodson III, Journal Your Journey is a daily editorial blog designed to give hope, inspire, and influence its readers to live better, more fulfilled lives. Through divine inspiration, Journal Your Journey delivers daily lessons learned centered around what it truly means to live a life led by God. As you read, we hope that you will be inspired and motivated to make a deeper connection with the Creator and that your life might be transformed. Enjoy!
"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." ~ 1 Chronicles 16:11
What does it mean to seek God’s face? Who even knew that God had a face?
To seek God’s face simply means to pursue His kingdom and righteousness (see Matthew 6:33). The ultimate goal is to stand face to face with Him and take in His presence.
But often times, we are afraid of seeking God’s face because we’re afraid of being exposed – afraid that we won’t measure up, that the façade we give the world will be stripped away, and that God will see us for who we really are – broken, messed up, and flawed.
But the thing is, when we stand face-to-face with God, not only is He able to identity our flaws and exercise His strength in our weaknesses, He’s also able to heal us from our brokenness. God is not looking to expose us and broadcast our sins to the world. That’s what the world does.
God wants us to seek His face so that He might change us from the inside out. So much so that eventually, we take on his image and when people see us, they see Him.
God is looking to give you a face transplant. But in order to do it, you’ve got to go in and see the Physician.
"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory..." ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
Yesterday, we identified those areas that one needs to address in order to increase in love. Identifying those areas is the easy part. The hard part is actually doing it. But like anything, taking the first step is the key. God doesn't expect us to be perfect, but he does want us to be better. Take the first step today. God bless, J.W.
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." ~ Romans 8:5-6
There's nothing worse than a carnal Christian - people who claim Christ, are saved, and know the Gospel, but refuse to truly allow God to transform their lives because of fear and apathy. In short, they continue to live their lives according to the flesh. They curse, they fornicate, they sin. They often have bad attitudes and a poor outlook on life, and ultimately end up lonely because their actions drive everyone they love away.
Please don't end up like these people. Nobody's perfect and everyone makes mistakes, but God has called us to live according to the Spirit of God, not according to the desires of our flesh.
I know it gets hard sometimes to do the right thing. We all struggle to do so. But God never promised us it would be easy. In fact, He promised the opposite. In order to live a transformed life, you've got to do the hard work that it takes to be transformed. God promised a life of great blessing and triumph as a result.
So, if you've never been filled by the Spirit of God or done the hard work that it takes to crucify your earthly, fleshly desires, ask Him to come in your heart today. He's waiting for the invitation.
I used to make the mistake of thinking that if I could just impart Godly principles to an unbeliever, I could bring him closer to Jesus. If I could just get him to think more positive. If I could just get him to stop cursing. If I could just teach him the principles of sowing and reaping. If I could just teach him that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. If I could just get him to do all these things, God would do the rest. There was no need to introduce him to Jesus, because when he started to change his life, he would naturally come to Jesus.
As I’ve grown older, however, I realize that I had it backwards. Teaching an unbeliever the principles of God does not bring closer to Him. Rather, giving people Jesus brings them to closer to his principles. Once people meet Jesus, he begins to transform their minds and their lives. But Jesus is the way to change. He’s the only way to real transformation. Any other type of change will be short-term and fleeting, but once a person meets Jesus, his/her life will be changed forever.
So, for those of you who don’t know Jesus yet, please understand that he is not some invisible force that is looking to control your life and stop you from having fun. Rather, Jesus is very real and he will grant you the peace, freedom, and happiness that you seek in other places (the club, drugs, sex, alcohol, friends). Once you meet Jesus, he will completely transform your life forever. Just try Him. Just for month, give your life completely over to Him. Just pray the simple prayer of salvation at the bottom of the screen, and make a commitment that for a month, you won’t make your own decisions, but that you’re going to put your faith in Him, that you’re going to allow Him to be the decision-maker in your life. Just for a month. I guarantee He will change your life, if you just try Him.
And lastly, for those of you who know Jesus already, stop trying to change the people around you. That’s God’s job. We are called to plant seeds. It’s Jesus’ job to water and nourish the plant that grows from the seed. But if a person doesn’t know Jesus first, then his growth, his change, will not last. It will be short-term and fleeting. So, instead of telling people how to live, let’s show them how to live. Let’s be a living example. Let’s show the love of Jesus through our lives. Let’s be a witness to the type of extraordinary life one can live if he places his faith in Jesus. The best witness you can give is not through words, lecturing, or nagging, but rather through a transformed life of your own. Only then will this world, this lost generation, truly see Jesus here on earth. We have to be their Jesus.
