Are You A Treasure Hunter Or A Field Inspector?

I was blessed to attend Faith Christian Center International located in Charlottesville, VA from 2008-2013!!! For five years, I faithfully attended church and bible study in hopes to get set free from baggage that seemed to follow me everywhere prior to coming into this particular house of worship! Pastor Wayne Frye taught a life changing bible study on a night where I was at my wits end and struggling to overcome shame and fear! He posed a question to the congregation ‘Are you a Treasure Hunter or a Field Inspector?’ I was very caught off guard because I had never heard of this language before. After doing some research for this blog post, I was pleasantly surprised at what these two jobs meant and how they related to me spiritually!

Treasure Hunting is the physical search for treasure. Treasure hunters try to find sunken ships and retrieve artifacts for market value. In order to find any treasure, they most always need a GPS! Field Inspectors gather information and perform property value appraisals of residential and commercial properties. Field Inspectors perform most of their work on the surface level of houses! They may even use a tape measure or take pictures of properties they are assigned to. There are no qualifications to becoming a Field Inspector! On the other hand, becoming a Treasure Hunter takes much practice, skill and experience.

To break this down even further, biblically, Treasure Hunters are constantly seeking God. They have been trained by the Holy Spirit to seek God in every area of life! These believers have developed a deep relationship with Christ and continuously seek his face. That depth comes from putting faith above feelings trial after trial. After every trial, is a reward! As long as Treasure Hunters continue to go deep, they find treasure. The GPS is God! Field Inspectors stay on the surface with God where there isn’t much depth. They do just enough to get by and do not really have the desire to go deeper with God. When I say ‘deeper’ I mean reading God’s word on a regular basis, attending a bible based church, and carrying a sincere heart while letting God lead you through challenges in life! We are all a work in progress! What helps me to stay connected to Christ is definitely praying for God’s will to be done in my life. Because ultimately, what God wants for me is what I need. It’s easy to go ahead of him and we all have a tendency to stay stuck in the past! That’s another blog post in itself. I try to study God’s word daily because it’s sharper than a two edged sword! At this point in my life, I am striving to become a Treasure Hunter!

Here are three key points to strengthen your ‘Treasure Hunting’ skills! 

1. Keep a journal. 

Make a habit of daily journaling to let God know how you feel about how your life is going. P.S. He already knows😊 Some things to keep in mind when journaling are to write down triggers in your day that cause your mood to shift from happy to sad. You can also write down to do lists so you aren’t so overwhelmed as the day goes along!

2. Alone Time.

I have found that for me, the main thing that’s kept my mental health in tact is having a significant amount of alone time. It’s true that we need time to be around our peers but alone time is just as dire! I spend alone time when I meditate. Meditation helps to clear the clutter from our minds and gives us a fresh perspective.

3. Practice Gratitude.

Like the saying goes, ‘An attitude of gratitude is the BEST form of Thanksgiving!’ I believe in this whole heartedly! I try to practice gratitude by reaching out to loved ones and friends on a regular basis. I thank God for the family and friends he has placed in my life! I send a quick text to my family and practice uplifting them! I’ll go outside and listen to Spotify on a nice day. In addition to that, I try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day! I thank God for the sun and the ability to get fresh air! When I do that, I feel God is pleased! This allows him to see that you are a good steward over what he has given you! AND this is what a true Treasure Hunter would do😊

Hope this helps!

Broken Relationships!!

RECONCILIATION. /n./the restoration of friendly relations.

RECONCILIATION. In biblical terms: Bringing in Unity, Harmony, or Agreement that has been alienated.

Listen, Let me just clear the air! To everyone who is reading or will read this blog post, everyone of us will be offended at some point in our lives! YES, offenses will come! You can bank on that. BUT in one of my favorite scriptures, Luke 17:1-4, Jesus says ‘…it is impossible that no offenses should come…’ and to expect them! If and when we decide to reconcile with the ones who have offended us solely determines our eternal destiny!

Broken relationships will hinder us from fulfilling our calling! You may have monetary success but you will never get what God truly wants to give you in this lifetime! We must find it in our hearts to forgive those who have offended us. We must seek reconciliation. Countless relationships fail due to a simple misunderstanding, an accident or unintentional failure, words or actions that occur in the heat of the moment, or because of a calculated plan of retaliation or deceit. Many adults reflect on a troubled childhood, wishing they could reverse the action of their youth and reverse their past. 

Most of us never take the time to make the first move, speak up and come to God’s throne with a humble heart! First and foremost, one has to have a humble and contrite heart. God knows each one of our hearts, intentions and whether we are sincere or not. We must also forgive! The bible says to forgive ‘7x77 times daily! Most of us stay silent about being offended and take our resentment to the grave. BUT, the fact that Christ made his greatest sacrifice on our behalf , while we were yet sinners, should move us to seek reconciliation with those with whom we have experienced betrayal, conflict, or misunderstanding.

When I have felt offended or offended someone in the past, in order to truly forgive that person/persons, I first spend some time in prayer and meditation. I cannot tell you where the other party’s heart is, but God knows my heart. All that God requires me to do is come to him with a humble, meek and sincere heart. Forgiveness is the same way! If I have intentionally hurt someone, it is my job to go to that person and ask for forgiveness! I get into some scripture about forgiveness and then go to God and ask for forgiveness from him. With a contrite and humble heart, God can forgive me, as well as anyone else! Forgiveness truly sets us free!