Had a really great time at Charlotte Motor Speedway last night with some close peeps. I enjoy the smiles and the laughs for sure. The bus race was about the funniest thing I have seen in some time though - I am sure the students with us last night will be thinking back to last night in a few weeks when school starts and they step on that bus!
Today I am in Jeremiah 17:9. I am taking a side step to my daily study that I have been following and will focus on a different topic for the next few days. I think God really has something for me to learn here.
Jeremiah 17:9
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

For sure the heart will lead you places. It can lead to good places and it can easily lead you to a really hurtful places. I say this all the time to the students close to me that are that path of relationships - "Once you get your heart involved into another person, the brain doesn't work anymore." Meaning most of the time the person will follow their heart and no so much on clear thinking. Our feelings are a true enemy to your faith. People fall into affairs, people have hurtful relationships that bring pain and destruction into our lives, we fall away from following Christ over a boy or a girl, we desire more of that person over the desires of what God wants for our life.
Our feelings change not only daily but moment by moment. How can we lead our lives when something changes like that? We would be all over the place and often times - we are. We make bad choices when our feelings are in the way. People are mean when they are hurt. When we lead our lives on what we feel, we minimize what God is and can do in our lives.
We have 5 senses and in spite of what we see, in spite of what you smell, in spite of what you taste, in spite of what you hear, in spite of what you feel ~ Know that YOUR God is able.

He is able to lead you through those feelings. He is able to lead you through those hurtful and empty places in life. He is able to be the comfort when you are hurting. He is able to be that friend when you need one instead of that relationship that you are wanting or putting your faith in - especially knowing its not a good one. If you are not honoring God in that relationship then that marriage probably wont either.
What it breaks down to is: if you take away your family, your church, your student ministry outings, your bible study, your facebook account, your friends and you are left with ... YOU ... A lot of people say they know Christ, they have a relationship with Christ - but if you take away all the stuff above - where is that relationship with the one who created you? How much of that relationship happens without all the other stuff? What is it like without the noise and distractions and its just you ... and Christ?
Don't let people, relationships, friends, difficulties, struggles, society, your job or anything else other than Christ himself define who you are.
God knows your heart. Even when you have it hidden from everyone around you and they think you got it going on. God knows where you are - in life and in Him.
Don't let another moment pass by with leading your life on your feelings - feeling change - Christ doesn't. Noah had woodpeckers on the boat - I am pretty sure he kept them above the water line. We all have woodpeckers in our lives. They are there ready to take the entire ship down in your life. Don't let them ..Don't let your feelings stop you from doing what God has called you to do.
Lonnie~