I Am Only a Sheep!!!! :)

Dear God,
So in the girl's Bible study that I co-lead, my friend did a lesson about Jesus being the Good Shepherd. She shared a radio broadcast called "Super Sheep". The lesson and the broadcast have really spoken to me the past couple of days, and I really feel you, God, speaking into my life through the lesson and using the lesson in a tough situation that I am going through at the moment. So last night, I wasn't falling asleep very easily and I felt you, Lord, really prompting me to write about this and to share to it with other people. Here is some of what you have taught me in the past couple of days:

Do people realize that they are only sheep? What does that even mean? First of all, what kind of an animal is a sheep? Is it super smart, or super dumb? SUPER DUMB!!! One falls off a cliff and dies. The other sheep follow it and die along with it. Are people like that? Sheep fall over on their backs and cannot get up on their own. They need their shepherd to come and turn them back over to their feet. Are we like that? Sheep wander off easily, get lost, and become completely vulnerable to predators and cliffs without their shepherd to protect them. Are we like that? Sheep are easy prey to ferocious animals that seek to devour them. The big fluffy poof balls are no match for the sharp teeth and strong jaws of lions and other predators. The only way the sheep have a chance of surviving is if their shepherd comes to rescue them. Are we like that? I don't know about everyone else, but I see many similarities between us and sheep. We often follow and imitate other people even if the path they are walking on is destructive. We often fail and fall and cannot get back up without some sort of help or aid. We are often lost and not sure what move to make next in life. We feel we are being attacked by ferocious animals (people, emotions, sin, etc.), seeking to control, destroy, and devour us. But guess what?!? Just as sheep have a good, protective shepherd, we are lucky enough to have a Shepherd too! His name is Jesus! Jesus loves us SO much and has deemed us valuable enough to give up his life to protect us, HIS sheep. With Jesus, we are undefeatable, just as a sheep is undefeatable to the ferocious animals when his shepherd is beside him. We no longer are dumb, stupid, defeatable sheep. With Jesus, we become SUPER SHEEP! The thing is that there is no way to be a super sheep with our own strength. We have to remember that when we rely on our own strength, we are dumb, fall off cliffs, and get stuck on our backs. Let us stop relying on our own strength and let us ask our Good Shepherd to help us in life. Let's rely on Jesus. Let's become SUPER SHEEP!!!! :)

This week I have been feeling attacked by ferocious animals and it has left me helpless. But God, you reminded me that I am only a sheep! I am not as powerful as I think I am. I am just a dumb sheep! But with you God, with asking you for help and asking you for strength, I am a SUPER SHEEP! I am no longer vunerable, I am undefeatable!!!!
Thank you, God for this great reminder and for you unconditional love for me despite my mistakes!
With love,
Your Secret Admirer

1 Peter 2:25
For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.

John 10:11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Matthew 9:36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Double Edged Sword

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Dear God,
I think many times I don't really appreciate or understand your Word. The other day I was pretty stressed out. I was stressed out with finals and some other things. I wasn't relying on you. God if I trusted in you, would I have been stressed? I think the answer to that question is an obvious NO. If I completely trusted in YOU, the almighty, all-powerful, life changing, life saving creator, what would I have to worry about? But here I was, trying to do life by myself again and I was stressed. Then, I had an idea that, sadly, I have not had very often. I decided to get to class early in the morning. I wanted to sit down, relax, open my Bible, and just read your words. God, there is something comforting and very powerful in your word. It's  "sharper than any double edged sword". I am convinced that your word cuts through even the hardest hearts. I was in bad shape that day, but after reading a few passages, God, I was transformed in the blink of an eye. Your word was becoming alive in me and it was cutting through my hard, stubborn, "I can do it myself" heart. The passages I read reminded me that with YOU all things are possible. I got through the rest of the day because I started putting my trust and my life in your hands. I was putting every situation that was in my life that day in the hands of the almighty, all-powerful, life changing, life saving creator. God, when I do that, it makes life so much better! God, I thank you for constantly reminding me my need for you. When life gets me down, God you remind me that by trusting in you, you will lift me up.

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Romans 8:31
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who [or what] can be against us?

With love,
Your Secret Admirer

Love Suffers Long

Dear God,
     There are days that are just not the greatest. Yesterday was one of those days. I think you give me those days to come closer to you. But even though I know I need you to help me, I still try to fix things myself. I don't ask YOU to help me through those "not so great days". But Lord, you are still patient with me and you love me unconditionaly. 1 Corinthians 13 says, "Love is patient..." or "Love suffers long..." God, how many times do you suffer and wait for me to come back to you after I've made my mistakes? Why do you take me back? Why are you so loving to me? I don't deserve it at all. In Romans 2:4, it says, "Do you despise the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance?" God, this totally blew my mind when I read this!!! By loving me, caring for me, and suffering long for me, you bring me back to you. You remind me that I can't do life by myself. I need help. I am YOUR creation, created to live for you. My favorite analogy of this is of a potter. He takes a clump of clay and shapes it and forms it until it is a vase. He isn't just going to put his beautiful vase in some corner to collect dust. He wants to show off his creation and use it for it's purpose: to display flowers. In the same way, God, you made me and formed me in my mother's womb. You want to show me off. You want everyone to see how special YOUR creation is. And you made me to live for YOU and to show others how awesome and magnificent you are. So God, I want that for my life. That the life you have formed would reflect you. When people see me, I want them to see you and how great you are. I want them to see how great it is that there is a God that loves them and will suffer long for them. God I ask that you would show me how I can be patient with other people and also how I can suffer long for them. There are many times when I'm irritated with some people. But God, like you show patience with me, I need to show patience with them. And there are other times when I just want some of my friends to understand what it is to be a Christian. Like you suffer long with me when I sin, I need to be patient and know that I may have to suffer long for my friends. I need to trust in you and not myself. I need to trust that you have a plan in all of this.
This week, I'm giving myself a challenge: patience. I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me.
With love,
Your Secret Admirer