Isaiah 26:5-8

So continuing on with the Bible Study..we are in the next 4 verses. Dudes, before I begin..I ask for prayer. I have been struggling with just ministry in general. I talked to a friend a couple days ago from home and him and I are just so confused on how to be intentional with ministry. I seriously think I make things more complicated than it should be. I do so many things or say so many things I shouldn't. I sometimes get so hard on myself b/c I fail a lot of times at being a Christian. We as christians need to be vulnerable b/c NO ONE has it together, NOBODY!!! We can only have it together through Jesus...but we need to rely on him and this is what the study is about today!I'm not any better than a non-Christian..I just claim I need Jesus!
Isaiah 26:5-8 (NLT)
"(5)He humbles the proud and brings down the arrogant city. He brings it down to the dust. (6)The poor and oppressed trample it underfoot, and the needy walk all over it. (7)But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. (8)Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; and our heart's desire is to glorify your name."
Ok, there is alot in here, so again, lets break this down.
Vs. 5, 6-->Have you ever came across someone just super arrogant? So stuck on themselves? Or maybe like you have been in a relationship where you felt trampled on and like no matter what you told them, they wouldn't listen to you or maybe they kept putting it back on you? The thing is God will humble all those who are proud! He has your back and the revenge is His. Now there are 2 different prides..those who boast about themselves, and bring down others. And then there are those, who live life on their own and do not let God, and then there are people who have both. God will humble all who are prideful. Now, I'm not hear to be preaching to you, b/c I struggle with pride. I trip up all the time! I have those days or weeks, like this week for example, I get so tied up in my days that I put God aside and depend on myself. Or feeling like I have to make it work. Are you kidding me?? There is no way I could "make things work"! We have to realize we are humans...just puny little humans. To God, we are like ants! And as humans, what do we think of ants? We think, "They are so small, their life is so useless..I can just step on them!" God chooses not to think of us in that way. We, as little ants, have such precious lives b/c we bear His image! He looks down on you and says, "You may be a little ant, but you have SOO much purpose and SOO Much worth..that's why I will not destroy you b/c I love you!" God could choose to wipe us out and to destroy us..but his love for us is SOO strong! Its kinda like as a parent, you love your kid so much, even when they are a pain, you still love them! God values you so much! God is going to take care of every little thing in ant-of-a-life. If you choose to wait upon him and trust him! "The Lord will fight for you! You need only to be still!" Exodus 14:14
Vs:7-->I don't know exactly where you are at in your life. However, life is tough. Life can be a....I won't say it, but not necessarily a "beach" all the time. Its hard, and there are quite a bit of people that give up by taking their own life. I want to encourage you that no matter how hard things get, and I mean NO MATTER how hard things get, like you may feel like you are drowning and you don't know if you can live anymore..God has you if you just trust Him by being patient, praying, asking, seeking! His hand is right underneath you ready to catch you if you would just let yourself fall in his arms. Have you ever fallen backwards into a group of people's arms..like some rock stars do at concerts or something?? God wants you to do that in His arms! It won't be easy but there is always joy in it! Everything you go through has a purpose. We may not see it right away, but there is a reason! Make your life count! Without God, your life is meaningless. Not to sound mean, but that is the truth. What are you living for? People fade, money fades, family, spouses fade...but the Lord never fades. And I'm not saying to not invest in relationships or be lazy or anything,but everything in this life is a gift...and it can easily be taken. You were meant to live forever, where will you choose to be forever?
Vs. 8--> When you love someone, do you want to hurt them? Maybe, your siblings drive you nuts and you want to punch them in the face sometimes..the thought might come across. Or maybe your spouse is driving you up a wall you want to say some mean comment to them and "put them in their place"..or maybe your boyfriend or girlfriend is being ridiculous so you wanna seek revenge and do something back to them to make them realize you're right...whatever it is deep down, we don't want to hurt them because we love them. We just let pride get in the way. Jesus says, "If you love me, you'll obey me." When you are in love with someone, you don't want to hurt them. However, we are going to hurt the ones we love. I claim to be a christian, yes, I love Jesus, but do I obey him? Not all the time. I suck alot of times at what He calls me to do and I stall, or I disobey..and I sin! I"m a sinner! However, Jesus paid the price for the punishment I was suppose to take. Jesus took the spanking, if you will, that you and I deserved for disobedience. Doing wrong, needs a punishment, but Jesus took that huge one for us! However, think of it this way, when you hurt the one you love, and don't you feel bad? The same thing with Jesus, when we disobey him, we should come to repentance, and He is ALWAYS apt to forgive. But why do we unforgive others? No one is perfect! Remember...NO ONE has it together! What makes us better than anyone else that we would not forgive? Now I know there are certain situations where a trust was broken and it will take time, but we need to forgive b/c it lets us off the hook as well. We don't carry that burden! I'm going off tangent, but I know for me, my heart's desire is to glorify Jesus..to serve Him, worship Him. Why?? Why would I waste my time doing that? B/c He "wasted" his time taking a severe aweful punishment for my sake so that I may have life b/c He freaking loves me and I freaking love Him!!!! (Though I suck at showing it sometimes.) Life after this life and I won't have to spend it in a HELL of a place. He did the same for you! Jesus loves us that much guys! He is the God of the universe that CHOSE to incorporate us ants into His life! He is a God of love! He wants you!
This might of been muffled, but I hope the Holy Spirit gives you understanding! Its all about Jesus and knowing Him. The Word is the manual of how to live life..we do have directions! Just trust Him! :)