Who Are You God?

Lately I have been struggling with what right name I should be calling God, what my worship should look like, and is God who He says he is.  I can only imagine you rolling your eyes and saying "come on Marjorie you know He is who He says He is."  Well I questioned these facts. There was much transformation going on in my life that I questioned God's name(s), why if I am an American was I adopted into the "Hebraic" family? If I was adopted into the "Hebraic" family should I just forfeit my heritage?  Does this mean that I am to call on or talk to God in his language and not mine? The world is a big place, what about the other countries that speak French, Spanish, and Turkey? Is my relationship with God changing now because I am not doing what some theologians or messianic Christians tell us to do? I read where Jesus' name was not his true name, traditions I have grown up with are not His traditions, His name means other things.
This truly distraughted me. I was questioning my own walk with Jesus. I cannot express how I felt during this time of questioning God and His Word.  It was really horrible.  I cried out day and night too. I didn't believe God was hearing me because I was feeling worse about life instead of better. I was ready to throw in the towel to all that I had told the Lord I would do.
My negative change began when I didn't go to church for personal reasons. I was in fellowship in different areas, but it wasn't the same. I believe that the devil was trying to come upon me and get me to separate myself  from my family. I also believe the familiar spirit of self pity was trying to find its open door to come back into my life.
I began a positive change when my husband prayed for me to be revived and asked God to place a right Spirit within me. Then a week later a friend prayed for me that I would have a revival in my Spirit. I didn't think much of it until a few days later.  I was recognizing my attitude towards a few people were abrasive, cold shouldered, and probably down right nasty. I was at work alone when I was prompted to go into one of the rooms and talk with God. I repented for my attitude towards those people, next I had to forgive the people in my life that had hurt me and had lead me wrong. Last, I cried out to God with my whole heart. He lovingly answered me back. It was amazing! Prayers were answered that day.
All that God has created us to do is  "to the praise of his glorious grace."  I don't have to call him by any specific translated name because he knows my heart. He has made me His chosen one. I didn't choose Him, I accepted him. Too many people want to tell us how to think, act, and follow their ways. This is legalism "my way is right and you need to follow it."  I now say, "you may think this, but I don't have to." I am a new creature in Christ, I am learning who He is through HIM. He has sifted me like wheat and I feel the transformation, but I know that my worship is more important to him now.
Jehoshaphat worshipped and yes knew God by his Hebraic names, but that was his culture.
Culture ~the behaviors and  belief characteristics of a specific social, ethnic, or age group.  I grew up in a culture that speaks a different language than Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I grew up in a culture that speaks English and English I will speak. I have learned a couple of foreign words, especially in Spanish.
But like Jehoshaphat, I will worship from my heart and that is ALL that God wants from me.
I am on a journey to know God more and I am changing as he changes me, not man.
I feel the rival happening within my soul and tonight I will be going to church to worship God. A few weeks prior to this struggle, I was going to church for all the wrong reasons. Why do you go to church? What does your knowledge of Christ look like? Does it look like what man has told you or is it what Jesus is showing you?

~Be encouraged, your relationship with Christ the son, Father God, and the Holy Spirit is more important than your relationship with the man set before you. Walk in HIS TRUTH!

Look UP!

I am almost certain that you know someone that is walking around in their sin. I am also certain that you may be praying for them. have you ever read the story of the bronze serpent? If not stop here and take a few moments to read Numbers 21:1-9.
Don't you want to just sake those Israelite people and yell "you got what you deserved!"
But not God, he is gracious and knows how to love them through this. It doesn't not say whether everyone looked at the snake and lived.  They followed a living God and were turning from idols at this time. Therefore, they probably didn't follow God's instructions through Moses and resulted in death.
Hmmm, the irony.
Jesus used this imagery when talking to Nicodemus in John 3:14-15. Do you remember what or where you were when you accepted salvation (the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, or destruction)? Do you remember perhaps bowing your head in prayer or lifting your face to heaven? Do you remember lifting your soul to look up at Jesus on the cross?  Did you walk away thinking "that was easy?"
Just like the Israelite people, they thought it was too easy to just look at the bronze serpent and be saved. People today believe it's too easy also. But it is.  We hold ourselves back from being saved because we think it is something we should work hard for and accept; especially for the over achiever.
Jesus was placed on that pole, just like the bronze serpent, to save us from our own destruction. When we look to Jesus and accept His love; we live in an eternal life of love.
I don't know if this helped you today, but it sure helped me to pray for my friends and family that are walking in their own venom. My prayer has changed for them to just look up.


~Be encouraged, Jesus saves