Seeking God First Makes All The Difference

Seek God (Photo credit: CharlotteAChung)

Have you ever wanted to stop doing something, but you just couldn't seem to quit? You pray about it, ask God for help, give it your best, and then it doesn't happen. What's the problem? I have been smoking cigarettes ever since I was 15 years old, and I have wanted to quit numerous times. I have asked God to help me, made preparations, set goals, purchased substitute products, and still nothing. So if you're wondering what you're doing wrong when you fail at quitting something, I too have been in that same boat many times. We all have, and I have still yet to quit smoking.

Jesus says "If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:14 If I asked God in Jesus name to help me quit smoking, I should've been able to quit already. So why haven't I quit? I believe there are two things that stop us, and they definitely work in conjunction with one another. First of all, you must have the true desire to quit whatever it is that you are wanting to stop doing. A true desire must be matched by faith that God will carry you through and deliver on his promise. Do you see how these two principles are completely connected? Your faith must be strong so that you are, and your commitment must have Jesus as the foundation; built on a rock.

Many of us try to handle things on our own until something comes up that is too difficult. That is when we turn to God, and when the results aren't what we want, we wonder why? Instead of asking God why, we should examine ourselves. Perhaps I haven't quit smoking yet because my faith isn't strong enough. Maybe I still smoke because I love smoking more than I love God? Don't get all bent out of shape with that question because it is a very common problem among us Christians. Instead, ponder the truth for a minute that we often find ourselves loving something else more than God, and think about whether there is anything or anyone that you love more than God. Self-examination is one of the main ways we grow in Jesus as Christians folks.

I'm not ashamed to say that I have loved many things more than God in my past, and I struggle with those issues today as well. If I didn't, I would be perfect, and I would have everything figured out already. Maybe you have something that is bothering you like I do with my smoking cigarettes. What are we going to do about it? While faith in Jesus and a true desire to quit are necessary, so are the support of other Christians around us. If we focus more on our own problems, then we are able to compassionately help and love others much easier instead of judging them. In order to do this, we must love God first, and we must seek his will in our lives. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 We try to make it so difficult on ourselves, but it all comes back to faith and trust in our Creator.

~ I want to give a special thanks to a comment that was made about self-examination that greatly influenced my post today. Thanks ML!

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A True Relationship (Love) Never Dies; A Conflicted View

I have been asked from time to time why I'm not in a relationship. That's a loaded question. First of all, I think there are people in this world who are not meant for starting families. God has other intentions for their lives, and I feel like I am one of those people. I have also never been one to completely agree with myself being bisexual, so that type of relationship isn't an option either. Another main reason I don't want a relationship is because of how much this world has turned its back on many of the values that should be present in a relationship. Now I'm not saying I've practiced abstinence either, which means that perhaps my chosen solution isn't a very good one.

I am 30 years old, so I have had my share of relationships in the past. While my choice is to no longer pursue them, at least at this time, everyone needs social interaction and closeness to others in different ways in order to survive in this world. I am a very extroverted, social, and communicative person, so I fill in my gaps with family and friends. Sometimes I think I know what I'm doing, and sometimes I wonder what I should be doing differently. While it has always been a perplexing part of life for me, it has been my path with its ups and downs, and I have definitely enjoyed the journey. I'm sure it helps feed my selfishness to an extent as well, as I get to focus on myself more than most people do.

Continuing along this path, I realize this means that I will not have any children of my own. Starting a family is one of the main reasons people have relationships. I have contemplated this decision many times, but I feel as though it is in tune with my direction in life. Either way, I never claimed to have the answer; I just trust that God will direct me where he wants me to go. I'm aware there are many different ways to look at this situation, and that is why our need for God is very evident. There is no way I could sort all of that out! I need his help, just like with everything else, and everything provided to me is from him.

Relationships aren't the only thing failing in this world. I just chose to write about them because I had certain things I wanted to say regarding my personal experiences. I see so many people hurting from relationships because there is not the right bond formed due to our whole world losing focus on what constitutes a true relationship. Divorce rates are always increasing, and you hear about all these murders and tragic family situations. Don't get me wrong. I know there are many people who have great relationships. The only problem with that is some of them haven't yet withstood the test of time just yet. As the years go by, the statistics get worse for these same relationships in question. The people are getting older, and something gives. I honor the older couples we see today that are still together. My great-grandmother is still alive, and she was married to her husband almost her whole life before he died in 2008. These are the relationships from back when that we should model our own after, but I'm telling you they're going to be hard to find in a few years.

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