The PB&J Formula to Keep Your Flame Burning

God Gold of the day

“Desire without knowledge is not good—how much more will hasty feet miss the way!”

-Proverbs 19:2

Two different aspects of our lives of followers of Christ:

Desire: the passion and enthusiasm one has to live their lives for God

Knowledge: the information or “truth” one gains through diligent study, focus, and seeking out to learn more about God and His truths

The main question I have for you today; which one of these areas do you find yourself living with more and leaning towards in your daily life? Is it more desire, a fire to get up and get after it, or is it knowledge, spending more time in study and learning? Both aspects are greatly needed for our Christian lives but one by itself always turns out to be no good without the other. These two qualities are a tag team, they go together like peanut butter and jelly. Hold on, let’s look at this verse from Proverbs a little deeper.

It says here; “desire without knowledge is no good.” Why would that be? So often we can find ourselves running through this life with the idea of “faster is better,” because if you have more “desire” you’ll be able to get more done, serve the Lord even greater right? Not so fast!!!

Desire is great but still it needs it’s tag team partner of “knowledge.” And it says exactly why here in Proverbs, “how much more will hasty feet miss the way!” The word “hasty” is meaning; “done or acting with excessive speed or urgency, hurried.” If we go go go and don’t take a second to slow down, we can find our flame of desire that has been burning at all time high’s experiencing something called, “burnout.” Have you ever heard a sermon or went to a camp, conference, those unbelievable moments of experiencing a spiritual high where you are on the mountain top and so fired up to go and serve the Lord with all you have? Yeah, I’ve experienced those moments too but how does long does that fire keep burning? Usually, not too long because there is no fuel to keep the fire going.

That’s where knowledge comes in, knowledge is the fuel to keep our desire fires burning at a high level. Knowledge is found when we step back to reflect, spend time with God in His Word and in prayer. In those moments when we seek God, His Word and presence brings knowledge to our lives, truth-filled knowledge about who He is, how He feels about us, truth that fills us up when we reach those burnout moments when our desire is getting weak.

Knowledge is like throwing kerosene on the fire that your desire has produced, when we find ourselves in moments where we want to give up, we’re too tired, we don’t see why the daily battle is worth it. SEEK KNOWLEDGE from the Lord. He provides for us truth that gives us all we need to battle against the weakness we face, it shows us that the purpose and calling God has given us is worth it. Knowledge is the fuel to keep your desire fire burning!

We can take off running the race God has set before us with all the desire in the world but without knowledge, God’s truth, we can find ourselves running in the wrong direction all too often. Knowledge of God directs us and keeps our eyes in the right direction to make an even bigger impact for His Kingdom than we could ever do without Him!!!! Seek the balance of desire and knowledge today, just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it never gets old, only better and better!!!!

Here’s an example of how truth-filled knowledge of God’s Word can reignite the flame of desire that may be running low in your life.

‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ‘ –-Galatians 6:9

DON’T GIVE UP!!! KEEP PUSHING FORWARD AND SEEKING GOD DAILY!!! YOU MAY NOT SEE IT NOW, BUT IF YOU DON’T GIVE UP AND KEEP DOING WHAT IS GOOD, THE HARVEST WILL COME!!!!

Water Bottle Work

God Gold of the day

“yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:16, 19‬ ‭

Consistency is Worth It

God Gold of the day

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭

Do you ever wonder if it’s worth it? The work you do at your 9-5 job? The way you serve your loved ones or others around you? So often we can find ourselves doing the right things but seeing no results for our efforts. That’s hard to deal with. Hard to keep moving forward and doing those “good things,” day in and day out.

This verse from Galatians is a call to consistency in our lives, a call to not giving up. Consistency is not just doing “good” when we feel like it, or when the “timing” is right, consistency is a daily showing up, and putting in the work. No matter how you feel, no matter what your boss says, what your co-workers are doing or think of you, no matter what the obstacles, show up today and put in the work. Then show up tomorrow and the next day and continue to do the things that God has placed in front of you with an enthusiasm and passion that only He can fuel. Consistency doesn’t begin “one day” when you’re at the right place or at the right time, consistency starts TODAY!!!

Quick results and fast rewards only come at drive thru windows these days. The results that last, that comes from a daily living of how God has called us to, when you choose to do “good,” to live for God and in His ways over your own or what your surrounding situation calls for, the results is a harvest of habits. Each day you wake up, and do “good,” despite all the resistance you feel pushing against you, is Godly habits being formed that will last you the rest of your life.

You may say, “well my job isn’t that important, what I do there and outside of there seems insignificant, it’s not worth it.”

What if it is worth it? And the truth is you are making your situation an excuse for your lack of effort on a daily basis? I’ve lived there, in the “do the minimum lifestyle,” and I’ve received the minimum results for it. I’ve worked and am still working the insignificant jobs, a grocery store stocker, a warehouse loader at a feed and seed store, I know how easily those thoughts of “it’s not that important,” can creep up daily. But God has shown me that He’s placed me there for a reason, to learn, to be shaped and molded. To not wait for one day when I get that “perfect job,” but to be consistent in doing good today in where He’s placed me and those habits built will be there when the next job comes. Even if it’s stocking a shelf or loading a bag of feed, what I thought would never make a difference, God said; “just keep doing good, don’t give up, I’ll show you it’s worth more than you could ever imagine.”

And like always, this “harvest of blessing” God mentions above, He’s not playing around! In the moments of doing good daily, I couldn’t see the results of it, but after doing good and trusting Him at His Word for months on end, the harvest is here in abundance!!! And it’s bigger than the quick, easy fast food results that are easier to attain. It’s being more prepared for serving Him in whatever door He opens up next and for the rest of my life. It’s built habits and tools that He’s shaped in me that I can use in every area of my life, my marriage, my relationships with others and so much more. It’s made an impact on others around me, influenced them to work in this way God calls us to, where doing the seemingly insignificant daily tasks consistently and good turns into life change in all areas and lifts us up to a standard of MORE because the minimum is no longer enough!

Are you dealing with these same problems and struggles in the situations, people, and jobs God has placed around you? Have you felt that it’s not worth it to go beyond the minimum?

I’m here to tell you today, from watching God work and teach me this lessons the hard way, IT IS MORE WORTH IT than you’ll ever know, until you wake up, show up, and do good today, and the next day and the day after that!!! Give it a shot, see what happens, you’ll see why I challenge you with this today months from now when the harvest of your daily consistency begins to pop up all over your life and others around you!

Nothing Easy About Good Seed

God Gold of the Day

‘So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ‘

Galatians 6:9 

‘“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell#7:13 Greek The road that leads to destruction. is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.’

Matthew 7:13-14 

Meditation Monday

God Gold of the Day

‘Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. ‘

Galatians 6:7-10

Today’s meditation tip for your Bible study on these verses is simple, you ready?!?!

Be still….

Silent your thoughts and completely focus on God and His Word….

Pray over these verses and ask God to reveal to you what He wants you to see, what He wants you to take away from this and apply to your life

LISTEN to God!!!! 

This sounds really easy and extremely simple to do but I’ll be honest, this is what I struggle with most in my quiet time with the Lord. I challenge you and myself today to most of all BE INTENTIONAL about this time with God and truly remove ourselves to listen to Him, to remove our thoughts and be led by His heart and voice in our lives. Stop trying to create this Godly and supernatural moment and be still, listen, and God will do the rest! As hard as I make this and chances are so do you, I have faith that we can do this today!! Why?? Because this involves us doing nothing and God doing what only He can do, it’s that simple and that easy!!! That’s God and He’s got something special to share with you today!