The Limitation of 'self help'

I'd like to flag up a less obvious, kinda quiet, culturally accepted ideal - if we just tried a bit harder or exercised more discipline we'd be able to accomplish oh just so much more!!! Self improvement strategies and how to 'be all you want to be' and 'get the most from life you can' is one of the fastest growing markets in the West. Our search for improvement is big business! Some of these tools can be useful in helping us negotiate life. It is healthy to be able to say 'no' at times to others or more often ourselves. It can bring life into our life, to rest, to forgive, to let go and more. However all our efforts are of limited value because the one thing strikingly consistent in humanity is our inconsistency... Many books, CD's or video's sit in a drawers gathering dust while our intention to change is seduced by another fad or worse still these things serve to reinforce our own negativity about ourselves. I think its part of the enemies plan, to fuel frustration, self loathing and discouragement... oh and did I mention big business? 

So what do we do with this? There most certainly is a need to press through stuff, to implements changes which will help us to waltz in rhythm with the music of our maker. To quote John Ortberg 'We are God's project not ours'. But that's the point, the changes we work through need to be Spirit led. In Zechariah 4:6  we're reminded 'No not by power nor even might but by My Spirit says the Lord God Almighty'! Boy doesn't that take the pressure off! I don't know about you but I'd rather eat my own personal elephant one Holy Spirit inspired bite at a time. I want to work in harmony with Him so my 'self' is changed for God's glory for eternity.

Be encouraged - 'We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthen us' Philippians 4:13. 

Hgs Ruth x

Makin ma Plans...

photo courtesy of  - www.stockfreeimages.com

I'm a planner, I love lists! I love setting goals and I love ticking boxes, I love completion. I love the feeling of drawing a line under what I'd hoped to accomplish so that particular 'box' can be set back on the shelf. Do you know it actually causes me stress to leave things unfinished! To me there is no greater joy than seeing, as Hannibal from the A team used to say, 'a plan come together'. For those of us box tickers I think there a sense of productivity or perhaps a need for fine detail in this process? We work well within structure, and are often creative as we work through. For this personality type evaluating how a project went and how it could be improved upon for the future will be totally satisfying. However if we were all like this teams wouldn't work. I have a friend who finds great joy in starting a project, growing a team and handing it over long before it's completed. He has started so many visionary projects which have born great fruit but has rarely been involved in their completion. He works in big broad brush strokes leaving the (for him dull) aspects of fine detail to others. Our Father in His wisdom has designed us to negotiate each other, to experience and work out what it is to do in team as modelled by the Godhead for His glory; to bring each of our gifts, idiosyncrasies, our 'us - ness' to the table for His glory.

This is all well and good but unless we act on our plans big or small they are well, useless... 2 Cor 8:11  Message version - encourages, 'The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. You're heart has been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it'. You see guys; the devil loves to distract us, so that we're big on good intention but small on doing. He will throw fear, doubt, discouragement anything he can, to stop us taking that first step from plan to purpose. But hear this this sweet cheeks, our gracious God takes the pressure off by the caveat found in proverbs ~ 16:9 which tells us 'we make our plans but the Lord positions our steps'. Isn't that fab? All God requires of us is to keep a pure heart get off our butts and He will sculpt His purpose out of the clay of our lives. 

• So what do you need to do to move from plan to purpose?
• When are you gonna do it (date/time)?
• Will you let me know how you get on?

see ya next week thanks for reading 

Hugs Ruth x