At your feet

 

At your feet

 

We live in a world that exalts pride and dependency on self.  I was driving to work on Saturday, and I have quite the Spotify playlist of Christian music.  I was listening to this song called At Your Feet by Casting Crowns.  Just a beautiful song that reminds us of our dependence on God.  We get so caught up in the cares of the world and forget where we need to be focused.  I’m going to share with you the lyrics to this.  

 

“Here at your feet, I lay my past down

My wanderings, all my mistakes down

Here at your feet, I lay this down

Not in my strength, but in yours I’ve found 

All I need, you’re all I need

 

Jesus, Jesus, at your feet

Oh, to dwell and never leave

Jesus, Jesus, at your feet 

There is nowhere else for me 

 

Here at your feet, I lay my future down 

All of my dreams, I give to you now

And I find peace, I find peace 

Here at your feet, I lay my life down

For you my King, you’re all I want now

And my soul sings.  “

 

It’s a song but it’s also a prayer.  Get my focus off of me and back on God.  

 

1 Peter 5:6-7 

“So, humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”  

 

In Luke 11:38-42 there is a story where Mary and Martha had Jesus over to their house and Martha became distracted by a big dinner while her sister Mary sat at Jesus feet and listened to him. That’s us moment to moment day by day.  We have choices to make about our focus.  There’s a picture I saw many years back in an Incredible Hulk comic and he’s facing a signpost with hands on it pointing all directions and it says Crossroads.  Are we choosing to seek God or other things?  I get distracted easily by video games and stress in life and I need to get better with my choices.  I need to be back at his feet.  On Father’s Day morning I sent a message to my dad thinking he was still asleep but he’s a pastor and it was Sunday so of course he was getting his sermon ready.  I want to share this conversation we had.  Why because he reminded me that I still have the tools and the toolbox for this blog thing that I haven’t done in some time.  

 

“Happy Father’s Day!  You once told me something that all at once humbled me.  You said someone asked you if I was going to be a preacher like you and your response was “If he chooses to I’ve given him all the tools.”  I never even knew I had the toolbox.  I may not always get things right but I’m happy because of the way you raised me.  You taught me to care for the people in my life.”

 

“Thank you. The only Tool that matters is the Lord Jesus Christ. 

If you don’t have Him nothing matters.”

 

I don’t do this blog thing because I might be someone special because I’m not.  I do this with my prayer and goal being this “if just one person draws closer to God because of something I shared then I have accomplished my purpose.”  

 

This is another reason why I do these videos.

 

In Isaiah 55:8-11 it says this.

 

“‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts’, says the Lord.  ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth.  They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.  It is the same with my word.  I send it out and it always produces fruit.  It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”  

 

What that means for Zac is this.  I share God’s word and he does the hard part of changing people’s lives.  I can’t do that and don’t want the responsibility.  I simply trust God that His Word will not go forth without doing what he intended.  When people share His Word it changes people somehow.  

 

Make the choice throughout your day to be at his feet.  

 

At your feet by Casting Crowns  

Break the statistics

 

Break the statistics 

 

Two and a half years ago I was married and my wife left me.  I ended up being divorced.  I spiraled out of control for a long time and did things I regret.  I remember about a year ago I was at Second Baptist Church in Corpus Christi and Pastor Dana said something that floored me.  He read off a statistic about how most people who have been divorced don’t return to church ever. Now you have to remember something I put myself through counseling twice because of what I went through.  I still have good and bad days.    I will be the first to tell you if God can use my hurt to help someone else, I am fine with that.  So often after all that happened to me, I prayed asking God to give me a purpose and hope.  It’s two and a half years later and I don’t blog like I used to, and my mom will even tell you that my ex took a lot out of me.  I’m called by God to encourage, and I haven’t always been able to.  I love to write and haven’t always known what to say.  This blog just happened spur of the moment and I felt God calling me to share it.    Jeremiah 29:11-13 says this “For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me

 

Two and half years later I find myself in a relationship with a woman named Becky.  Neither of us planned anything that happened to cause her to be a part of my life.  We met on the Facebook dating app and we talked for months before ever meeting in person.  My world and hers had both been shattered.  We both were convinced a person of the opposite sex couldn’t ever love us again.  She told me the first day we met that I mattered to her and she loved me.  I cried a lot.  Now we have a dog and a cat and 7 kittens.  Do you want a kitten?  I had no hope and neither did she.  We put God first and but we try our best to be better than the day before.  

 

I say all this to remind you that God created you and he has something special for you.  I don’t know what that looks like for you.  Get up seek God.  Answers may not always come easy but know that you are loved.  I was sitting folding laundry watching a documentary about WWE star Diamond Dallas Page using his exercise program to change people’s lives.  It reminded me that I can still be used by God to simply encourage people.  I don’t know what God has for you to do but you’re not alone and he can still use you no matter the hurt you’ve gone through.  You may say “But Zac, how do you know God can still use me with all I’ve been through.”  He uses me.  Plain and simple I’m just a person doing a Bible study blog when I can in hopes that if God uses it to change one person’s life, then I accomplished what I set out to do.  I’m not a great anything but if God can use me, he can use you.  I’ve been through hurt and emotional abuse. I’ve had some of the best and some of the worst days but if God can use that to help someone else by having me do something as simply as sharing a blog, then I want this to glorify God.  That’s all I want from my life is to glorify him. 

 

Galatians 6:9-10 says this.

“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.  Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone— especially those in the family of faith.”  

“Never give up!  At least not so early in the game.” 

 

Unexpected friends by Sandi Patty and Amy Grant

Anyway by Martina McBride 

Hurricane by Natalie Grant 

Words

 

Words

 

I haven’t blogged in quite some time.  I feel the need to though.  As a lot of you know I now have a girlfriend named Becky.  We were talking Friday night and we both talk a great deal about everything.  I told her I had been thinking.  Becky and I come from very broken past relationships.  I told her that she needs compliments and words of encouragement and affection as much as I do.  Because of our past relationships we have been through emotional and verbal abuse that no one should go through.  It falls on me as her boyfriend to build her up.  The first day we met she told me I mattered to her.  When you’ve been emotionally at a point that you feel like you matter to no one just hearing that can make you cry tears of happiness.  She did make me cry.  Each day we compliment each other.   You have people in your life who are dying emotionally and need some words of kindness.  God doesn’t bring them into your life by chance.  How you interact with people says a lot about you as a person.  I have another friend Erica who uses her Facebook page to try and build people up all the time.  You can build people up with written communication, spoken words face to face or just making someone feel like they matter.  

 

Proverbs 18:21 says this

“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”  

 

Romans 12:18

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  

 

Use your words carefully people, don’t be the reason someone suffers verbal abuse.  

 

Words I would say by Sidewalk Prophets