A Let it Be and See Story

By G. P Avants

 

“Whoever is thirsty, let him come.”

                        Revelation 22: 17

 

Okay, here’s another confession. When I was a teenager I was really messy. When asked to clean up my room, it got done, but don’t look under the bed. That was a black hole waiting to suck up anything that got into its gravity well. My mom probably never thought I’d grow up to be a neat freak, but I did.

Now, I hate to see things neglected and run down. It really bothers me because I don’t want to look like I don’t care. I guess I secretly fear if I slack off then I will slip into the ‘I don’t care attitude. Here’s what is weird. There are times when things are meant to be left alone. Some things do better when we take our hands off it and let it grow. There are times when I watch things grow in my garden and nothing happens. Yet, I go away for a weekend and wow, things have really begun to sprout.

Other times things get a little dry and wilted. I use to think that was bad, but in some ways it’s a good thing. When there is less water, plants are forced to stretch their roots. That not only helps them get to deeper resources but the roots anchor the plant in for those storms that might be coming.

A little quiet and some times of testing work for plants and of course people too. Hey, A type people (like myself)  know its hard to rest when you see things that need to be done. However, there are times to let it be and that’s okay. If you are very active and busy you at least need that day of rest. A good friend I talk to says it’s good to get two if you can. Sure, resting can feel like laziness to an A Type personality. My wife is B Type so seeing her kicking it is natural. It is tough to do, but I am trying to chill more often and find a slower pace.  We will all experience dry times too. I have been wilted, crispy, and not my best the past few weeks. Yet, I know that God is deepening my faith, my roots, preparing me for harder times.

I don’t know where you are right now but I know God uses active and inactive times in our lives. I pray that you will know when to let it go and let you grow. If it helps, take that deep breath, and see what God is doing and join Him.

 

 

 

Advertisements

A Car Load of Pretty Women

By G.P. Avants

“No temptation has taken you but that which is common to man, and God is faithful…when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand under it.”

         I Corinthians 10:13

Gassing up at Circle K is usually a no- brainer. Pay the attendant, pump the gas, and you are on your way. That’s usually how it works. But today I was in for a surprise. Out of a car next to me stepped out a beautiful woman. Being a married man, a gentleman, and a Christian man I know that ogling is a risky game to play.

I was good and I tried to admire without gawking. Then before I could avert my eyes, another woman emerged from the car. The stunning fact was the whole car was filled with beautiful women. I figured it was a beautiful mom out for a ride with her beautiful older daughters.  So, I, by God’s grace, did my best to get out of there without embarrassing myself.

Women may not always understand how men are designed but, men are visually stimulated. God made many beautiful things in this world and I am glad that he took the time to form women. I think they are one of his greatest creations. I take that back, they are.

With that said, what ruins the simple appreciation is our sinful nature and the temptation to act on our lusts. We are all tempted by something in our flesh that appeals to us. Unfortunately, so many wonderful things get ruined because we lust and desire things in the wrong way. Just when we think we might have matured and are able to handle that age old temptation, another one of a similar kind, pops out of the vehicle. We all are tempted by a carload of something intent on luring us away.

So, what can we do to not get trapped? Something needs to change on the inside. Our perspective needs to change. A strength we do not possess to overcome that temptation needs to reside inside. The fact is the temptations are not going to stop coming. In fact, there are many other cars out there filled with even more captivating things. They will stop at nothing to wear us down and drag us willingly into sin.

We need a change of man in us. I remember a communist leader once remarked  that, “I can put a new suit of clothes on that man”. He boasted of fixing a person’s outward circumstances as the key to his happiness and success. In contrast, Jesus says, “I can put a new man in that suit of clothes.”  Our outward circumstances may not change but, we can. He is able to make a new man that can face the temptations in life and truly be an over comer.

So, when temptation comes knocking what are you going to do? You do have a choice, you know. You can go and answer the door yourself or maybe…you can say, “Jesus, it’s for you.”

12:35

By G.P. Avants

“Be patient, then brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.”

James 5:7

Everyone is familiar with the ‘eleventh hour’. That is usually when miracles happen and we are rescued from our hour of “doom”. What if the Lord chooses to allow the “hour” to come…and go? We are allowed to have the trial come upon us and then what? What is the aftermath?

My retainers were lost and if you’ve ever had them you know that easily $400 out of your pocket. I knew the seriousness of it. I tried to do all I could do to hunt them down because we didn’t have the money. They weren’t found. I didn’t want two years of painful braces to go backward just because of lost retainers. I had to go and get another pair ordered. I try to be very careful with the things I am given responsible over. So, my tendency is to beat myself up mentally for loosing something important. So, even though this thing is only made of watermelon- colored plastic and metal it has a big financial burden to it.

So I muttered a frustrated, tired prayer:

Lord, after all of that you asked for my trust and my faithfulness even if things didn’t turn out the way I thought the trial should go. You are looking for a deeper trust when the stakes are higher.

Can we trust Him even when nothing works out the way we think they should? It’s in these troubles when it seems the Lord appears negligent and forgot my problem existed. I feel my faith shaken up a bit. Then I have to remember in times like this that He hasn’t changed. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. All the promises He’s backed up with the life of His Son are still in place. He’s just making those promises real as I am asked to apply them to real life issues. Isn’t that things really happen, though? We say we have faith, but the apply it changes everything. Faith has feet and hands.

The retainers were found after the fact. After going through all that hassle, they turned up. Was God late? No. He got my trust. It what He was looking for, the retainers were only tools for that end. He knew when to reveal things. But things continue, much like breathing your next breath. Another test came when I tried to call and stop the new retainers from being made. So, will He come through? He will in His way and His time to work it into me. Call and wait on the Lord. I am still waiting. I’ll let you know what happens.

 

100% x 2

By G.P. Avants

 

Jesus Wept.

Jesus Laughed.

Jesus Coughed.

Jesus Sighed.

I am sure He smiled.

I am sure He got cuts.

I am sure He got itchy.

I am sure he tripped on ruts.

The Lord got hungry.

The Lord got sweaty.

The Lord got angry.

The Lord’s hair got messy.

He had no sin but walked holy among

The sinful ones in the dirt and dung.

In the pit of despair,

He was Heaven’s fresh air.

He was holy and untouchable

He was wholly touchable.

He was unbreakable, timeless and unchanging.

Yet he was broken in our place,

He took the time needed to rebuild a life,

Make a friend, and was never in a rush.

The unchangeable showed

How one one-of-a-kind- man

Could change the world forever.

One hundred percent man.

One hundred percent God.

Do the math

And it doesn’t add up.

It’s rather odd.

That combination works when Eternity

Steps into our daily lives.

We do not just live,

We can thrive!

(I like this new math.)

100…102…105

 
By G. P. Avants

 

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed in you, because he trusts in you.”

                                               

                                                            Isaiah 26:3

 

This is one of those blog entries where I wasn’t sure about sharing.  I will ask you to bear with me and pardon my length. I will try to get to my point without taking unnecessary jabs, thrusts and parries.

For the past month I have felt inside out. It is as if a fire was burning in my mind and getting to some old long buried issues.  The struggle has been the beginnings of depression.  I recognize the signs but, wonder why I am going through this now? Again? Yes, this is hard to talk about because as a Christian, shouldn’t I have victory over this once and for all? Why am I still in this “mind field” as it were once again?

I think it’s because someone is turning the heat up. I do not mean global warming or any other environmental condition. I mean the hearts of people are being put under a fire. It is not unlike the crucible that is meant to refine gold and remove the dross. We are being prepared for something coming and this testing of the heart and mind is part of the process.

If I can go back to the mind field for a moment it might make more sense. When a person has a creative imagination they also struggle with their imagination. That is the part of the mind that thinks and over thinks, wonders and worries, studies and is worn from understanding.  The mind, for me, is a fantastic destination full of endless possibilities. However, if worry, doubt, and fear decide to pay a visit that beautiful vista of the mind darkens rather quickly.  Throw in some anger because things aren’t turning out the way you planned, and you have the makings of a mind at war. Try to sleep and night with those fireworks going off and you get the idea.

When you are uncertain about yourself how can you help others? If you doubt your faith and your own sincerity, where is the peace to pass on to others?  It’s a lot of time being slated for self-evaluation when you see the real world on the outside passing you by. There is a time to go through this process, however when depression comes it brings its baggage. It’s not just for a weekend getaway,  it wants to move in permanently.

If you bear with me a moment or two longer I think there will be a bright side to this gloomy topic.  God knows what He is doing and how to make the most of a bad situation.  He knows what is in men’s heart and mind. The Lord knows the right timing to open up and heal an issue in our lives. God is also a master of timing. He knows that the struggles we have will also assist others who are in the same boat. Talk about someone who knows how to get His ducks in a row, the most bang for his buck, etc.  He will be there before we quack up and restore a better sanity then we had before. And yes, He can help us get that smile and that sense of humor back.  (Can I get an amen, even a feeble, tired one? )

The Lord needs his children ready for whatever comes ahead.  The temperature of the hearts of men and women are being cranked up worldwide or in contrast if they ignore it, are becoming colder. There is not medium heat setting here.

We need to be enabled to work in the fire and under pressure so we won’t melt away.  That is exactly why we see the junk in ourselves rising to the surface. If you have the Spirit of Christ living in you, He is cleaning house, and replacing it with the real life inside. For some of us who are “sin hoarders”, we have tucked, stuffed, crammed, and impacted our lives with dead rotting things that use to be alive, sort of.  That takes time to remove and the Lord knows it.  He is ready to kick up the flame and get down to cleaning process. The question is, do you trust Him?

I am telling you now it’s not a pretty site to see your junk coming to he surface. It’s painful when you see yourself as not measuring up to what you think a good Christian is meant to be.  You might cry out. “I can’t do this? I am not perfect!”

That is a shock but a very honest statement.  None of us are have it together like a “Good Christian” should. We all need the Lord not just for the moment of salvation but,  for the rest of our lives. Life is a process that takes all your life to fully appreciate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did You Choose A 70 or 7 year plan?

 

By G.P. Avants

       ” I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

                                                       John 14:2

Are your ready for the future? I’m sure you may have been thinking about retirement or starting a new career after you’ve put in a few years at your current job. College funds? TSA? I’m talking eternity? Are you ready for stepping into that long term situation or are you caught up in the worries of the present?

I will tell you that if you haven’t thought that far out you might want to do so quickly. If you haven’t noticed yet the world is becoming a little darker each day. Yet, we haven’t seen anything yet. There’s a time coming that is unprecedented in our world. It’s the final battle between good and evil. It will literally be a hell of a war and we all need to decide which side we will side with.

There are two plans that the Bible talked about for getting people’s attention. One was the exile of the nation of Israel. Imagine an entire nation taken away, scattered and mingled with foreign nations for 70 years. God did this to get Israel’s attention. They turned their back on the God who made them who they are and embraced the world. He warned them of the consequences of joining a lost and sinful world; because He was in the process of cleansing the world of sin.

The miracle was that God did restore Israel for a time and brought the Messiah through that restored line. (Another handprint of God was that he restored Israel in the 1940’s after being totally dispersed in the world, forgotten as a nation for over 1,000 years)

Does it take that long to get our attention? I don’t know if we have that much time to try the patience of God. He has a 7 year period plan prepared to do a final judgment in the world. It is a tenth the time of the exile but it is 100 or 1000 times more intensive of a judgment.I ask you: Do you really want to go through a time of great trial if you don’t have to? People will be saved, finally, through that time but, what they have to go through will be horrible. You will be beaten, broken, and some beheaded for their faith. That’s on top of famine, plague, constant world-wide natural disasters, and political upheaval.

Why not chose the eternal plan right now? There is a 0 year wait. You can be certain to have hope beyond all of the craziness surrounding you. You can know peace in the midst of chaos, and come to understand that all the struggles you face have a greater purpose. Life will finally make sense.

God sent His Son, Jesus, as payment for the world’s sin. He came to destroy the very root of man’s problems which He did on an old wooden cross. God is now able to renew your life because sin is no longer a barrier between you and He. God made you for Himself to enjoy eternal fellowship. That lost dream can be found again.

If you haven’t received Christ here’s a prayer that might help.

Dear Lord, I want to know you now. I want to be ready for eternity so I ask your forgiveness for my sin. I surrender my life to you, Jesus, and ask you to be the Lord of my life. Thank you for healing my life one day at a time and making me ready for Heaven.

           I ask this in Jesus name Amen.

Have you made you plan yet?

Thanks, GJ. from G.P.

By. G.P. Avants

A few months ago I ran into a fellow writer named. G.J. Stevens. He writes a blog that promotes his book about surviving the end of the world. Though I am not a zombie fan, however I found G.J.’s writing compelling and really exciting.

 

Now as we all know that writers have to do branch off and do some networking, some marketing, etc. to get their work out there. I was asked to talk about my writing and projects as part of a get to know author campaign that G.J. initiated. Here is the link and the interview he did with me. Hope you enjoy.

G.P. Avants

Author Interview Series: G. P. Avants