Respond In Faith

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
~Isaiah 41:10

Depending on God for everything, in every situation is essential in our Christian walk. We all know that, yet we don't always do it. It's easy to say you give glory to God when things are easy and going your way but what about when they don't? Do you blame God when times are tough? Do you feel rejected by Him when you experience loss? Are you angry with Him when disaster falls?

Our response to all of life's events determines how we will get through any situation. If we fall apart, chances are we will take a very long time to recover. If we respond in anger, bitterness will fill our hearts. If we blame God, we will never see the victory on the other side.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)." No matter how things appear, our faith that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will, is key to surviving anything.

Today my daughter Cassandra would have celebrated her 42nd
birthday. She died at age 16. There is nothing more devastating than losing a child. It throws life out of order. Our children are supposed to bury us, not the other way around. But our response to the death of a child will either make us or break us.

Often, the loss of a child results in divorce. Underlying resentment by one or both parents cause the division. It is our nature to lay blame, and spouses often blame one another. Loss can also alienate siblings, who have no way of processing their own feelings of anger, frustration, and guilt. The repercussions can be varied and devastating in their own right. But our response in faith has the power to not only heal us but give us a happier, healthier future.

"But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me (2 Samuel 12:23).” David understood the importance of the right response in faith. He understood who God was and believed God was faithful in every circumstance.

We choose how to respond. Our response will determine who we will be on the other side of any disaster. Our response in faith will strengthen us, and bring us out of disaster with a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1)."

No Reason Why

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
~Psalm 20:7

The attack in Las Vegas, like 9/11 & Oklahoma City, brings terror much too close to home, yet we see it around the world on a daily basis. We are naive to think we are immune or somehow untouchable by cowardly acts and insane agendas. As long as satan has some modicum of control, there will be no peace on Earth. Our trust must be in God alone.

I've been seeing a common thread this morning on social media. Now that the initial shock is over, people are asking why this happened. There is no answer to that question. There is no sane answer for insanity. There is no rational answer for the irrational. There is no understanding of the actions taken by someone who is deluded. We are trying to make sense of the senseless. And like 9/11 & Oklahoma City, in 15 or 20 years, there will still be no good answer for why.

The world has lost its collective mind. Everywhere we look there is terror and murder; horrific events taking place worldwide every single day. Is what happened in Vegas worse than what happened in London or Germany? No, but it happened here, in America, on our doorstep to people who were doing something we have all done. Going to a concert to have a little fun, what could be more innocent? The reality that it could've happened anywhere to any one of us is terrifying. But we cannot allow fear to win.

Even in our darkest hours, God is in control. He has not left us, He has not forsaken us (Deuteronomy 31:6). The Lord is for us, not against us (Romans 8:31).

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33)."

The world is a crazy dangerous place, so we must place our faith, our very lives in the hands of God. If you don't know the Lord, or you aren't sure of how to have faith and trust in God, please send me a message. I am always available.

Some may trust in chariots and horses but the strong things of this world crumble before Almighty God. Put your trust in God and you will withstand the storm.

The Eyes of Your Heart

“Now the natural man does not receive the things from the Spirit of God — to him they are nonsense! Moreover, he is unable to grasp them, because they are evaluated through the Spirit. ¹⁵ But the person who has the Spirit can evaluate everything, while no one is in a position to evaluate him.”

~1 Corinthians 2:14-15

I remember the days before I knew who Jesus Christ was (unfortunately), and I remember thinking how silly it was for people to spend so much time in church. Going to church two or three times a week – who does that??? But after I received salvation, I came to understand why church was important. Not only did it become important to me, I couldn’t get enough. I went to church twice on Sundays, once on Wednesdays, once on Tuesday mornings for Bible study, and I went to worship services on Friday nights. I could not get enough of what God had to offer! The difference was, prior to my salvation, I saw everything through the “natural man” and not through my “spiritual man.”

What a difference salvation made in my life. It was as if blinders had been lifted from my eyes and I could see beyond the world around me. In reality, what happened was when I accepted Christ into my life, He made me whole again. He made me brand new (2 Corinthians 5:17) and I began to see things with my spiritual eyes, or the “eyes of my heart.” The old was gone and something brand new and exciting was before me. And it’s been like Christmas morning ever since. The excitement of who God is and who I am in Him never ceases to amaze me. His revelations in my life continue day to day as I study His Word, pray and worship Him.

We are limited people but we serve a limitless God. There is no depths to which He will not go to drag us out of the muck of life. His love knows no bounds. We are the most important part of God’s agenda, so much so, that He became human to die for our sins to ensure our place in Heaven with Him. He loves us so much, He went to extraordinary measures to have a personal relationship with us. And as if dying wasn’t enough to prove His love, He sent His own Holy Spirit to live within our hearts to teach and guide us. God is a wild man! He is wild about us!

“For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).” If we know nothing else about God, knowing this alone should bring us to our knees. The Creator of the Universe, of all that was, is or ever will be, created all that we see, and the things we cannot see, just for us. His love is so vast, so grand, so out of this world, I believe the expanding universe is the only thing that could hold it. That and the hearts of you and me.

“We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).” Before He ever separated the light from the dark, before He created the Heavens and the Earth, before He grew a single blade of grass or put a drop of water in the ocean, He loved us. He loved YOU! And He continues to love us no matter what we do. God never turns His back on us, He never walks away from us no matter how sinful we are. He is always there for us. We are the ones who turn our backs on Him. We are the ones who grieve His Spirit because He doesn’t want any of us to go to hell (2 Peter 3:9). But it is up to us. We have to choose between the natural man and spiritual man. We have to choose between earthly life or heavenly life. We have to choose between Heaven and Hell. We have to choose to either follow the devil or follow Jesus. Choose well, your very soul depends on it.

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:14-15).”

Go Ahead And Dance!

“And David danced before the Lord with all his might, while wearing only a linen ephod (2 Samuel 6:14).”

Much of the Psalms written by King David are devoted to singing praises to the Lord for all of the good things He did. David could get himself into trouble, and he had a problem with sexual sin, anger, and a host of other problems we all face from time to time. However, David never failed to repent and praise God. Acknowledging our sin can be difficult, even for Christians, maybe even especially for Christians. I think some of the reason for that is the belief that once saved, always saved. This seems to give those who believe that carte blanche’ to do whatever they want without repercussions. Another reason, I think, is that Christians can be devious in their sinning. They don’t want anyone from church to see them coming out of a bar but they don’t consider staying out of the bar.

It can be easy for us to ignore the little sins and transgressions in our lives and tell ourselves “everyone is doing it, so what’s the harm?” After a while, the sins get bigger and the covering up of those sins gets easier as well. But eventually, God will allow the whole mess to come crashing down on us and we have to face what we have done. Sometimes, we get so out of whack, it’s easier to face God with sin, than to look our pastor or other church member in the eye and confess what we’ve done. We are prideful, sinful people. No wonder God repented for making man! (Genesis 6:6)

In the Old Testament, sins were covered yearly by taking an offering to the priests. They used the blood to wash the sins, and burned the carcass as an offering to God for the forgiveness of sins. It was a very intense procedure that had to be done just right, and if the priest did something wrong and entered the Holy of holies, he might come out dead. They even tied a rope to his leg so if he died, they could drag his body out. God was deadly serious about sin back then, and He is still serious about sin. But He also took pity on us, seeing how we just can’t stop sinning and needed more than a yearly sacrifice. So He became flesh and sacrificed Himself in the body of Jesus Christ on the Cross for all of our sins.

For me, knowing what Christ went through for me, knowing how it breaks His heart when we live a life of sin and misery, breaks my heart to think about it. I know the life I led was horrendous for me, and I know the person I was then broke Christ’s heart. The person who came to Christ asking forgiveness died that day, she was put to death in Christ Jesus and became a brand new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) That alone is worth dancing about, leaping and shouting.

Confess your sins and move forward. Leave the dead to rot where it is. You have a new life in Jesus Christ and there is no reason to risk hell for anything. Tell the truth, shame the devil. Dance like David did and kick the devil in the teeth. You are a new creation and if that’s not worth dancing about, I don’t know what is.

Where Is God?

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness.”

~Lamentations 3:22-23

Where is God when you’ve prayed for over 30 years for healing and it doesn’t come? Where is God when the pain is so bad all you can do is cry? Where is God when your heart is broken into so many pieces that Humpty Dumpty looks whole? Where is God when you are crying out to Him in sheer agony? And what purpose does it serve to allow someone to live in writhing pain, whether physical or emotional? I’ve been asking myself these questions a lot lately.

I’ve come to a place in life where I have to depend on the Lord to get through life minute by minute. I have to depend on the Lord in order to get out of bed, to sit, to bend, to walk. I was born with a degenerative bone disease that has destroyed my joints, wrecked my spine, and causes so much pain, some days I literally lay in bed and cry. I’ve been seeing doctors for over 30 years, and I’ve had several surgeries, which I am grateful for. Even though there’s pain, I’m not in a wheelchair anymore. However, recently, I went to the doctor and was told that outside of injections for some measure of pain relief, there is nothing else that can be done. At some point, it will degenerate to where I will be in a wheelchair once again. Not the news I wanted to hear but also not completely unexpected either.

It’s difficult to understand when prayers go unanswered, especially when the Bible clearly tells us that by Christ’s stripes, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). I probably pray for answers to my questions as much as I pray for healing. Why? Why? Why? Sometimes, that’s the only prayer I can pray. “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). And it is but I still have moments when it hurts so bad, God’s grace and mercy feels very far off. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it shall be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).” I’ve been asking, seeking and knocking an awfully long time but healing has not come.

Praying about these two verses, I told the Lord I feel as if “everyone” doesn’t include me. Isn’t my faith big enough? I know it’s the size of a mustard seed at least! So why has my asking, seeking and knocking gone unanswered? It hasn’t, not really. I asked for salvation and it was given to me. I sought the Lord and He is with me. I knocked on the door of Heaven, and I’ve been invited in. That is much more important than my physical condition. He provides for me the strength to get through each moment as it comes. He knows what I have need of at every moment of my life and meets me at each need. Dependence upon the Lord is an essential part of growing in Christ, of becoming like Him, and of looking toward the heavenly rather than the earthly.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song, I praise Him (Psalm 28:7).”

“Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress (Isaiah 33:2).”

And above all –

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16).”

A Grateful Heart

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18)."

Give thanks in ALL circumstances... Is that even possible? What about when things go wrong? What about in those moments when a loved one dies? Divorce? Loss of a job? Bills piling up? Or any of the other millions of things that can, and do, go wrong in life? Does God expect us to be grateful in times of distress? Simply, the answer is "yes." We are to be grateful in all circumstances, no matter what they are, how painful, distressful, or heartbreaking. 

It's not difficult to be grateful when everything is sunshine and roses but that is a different kind of gratefulness. Generally, when everything is going our way, we can get into a state of gratefulness that glorifies our own abilities. "I worked hard and look what I've accomplished." There's nothing wrong with being proud of hard work but we have to remember that our abilities to perform that hard work comes from God. And that, in essence, is the purpose of gratefulness -- to glorify God no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

Christians are not exempt from hardships. In fact, I think we see more hardships because the forces of evil are hard at work trying to convince us that God is not for us, and that He is against us. But no matter what we have to deal with, putting our faith in God, and knowing that He will deliver us, gives us a grateful heart. God does not deliver us to hardships but rather, He delivers us through hardships. He doesn't take us to the edge of the cliff and wait for us to fall off; He takes us to the edge of the cliff and waits for us to take that first step in faith, and then provides solid ground for us to walk on.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17),"

No matter what we are going through, giving thanks to God for all He has done for us, including our very lives, is essential to coming out on the other side better than when we went in. In 2010 my youngest daughter gave birth to her first child, a boy she named Drake. He was stillborn. Watching my daughter holding her dead baby just about crushed me. We knew when she was in labor that the baby might not make it, but we prayed and asked God for a miracle, yet God did not give us a living, breathing baby. Why? I have no clue. However, our response was one of gratefulness. "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21)." It was difficult to be grateful in that situation but God knows the end from the beginning. God knows what He's doing even when we don't. When we say we put our trust in God, and we confess that no matter what happens, we will continue to trust and praise Him, we might just have to prove it. 

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song, I praise Him (Psalm 28:7)."

Giving thanks and praise to God in all circumstances is not a heavy burden. It actually makes our burdens lighter, and lifts our spirits. No matter what we are going through, we can always find something to praise God for, even when we don't feel like it. There have been many times in my life when I've had my feelings hurt, or my husband and I have had an argument, or my children have gotten into a mess I can't help them with, or we've been flat broke, or any number of other things that made me just want to lay down and cry my eyes out. I didn't want to praise God. I didn't want to thank Him. I wanted someone to pet me and feel as sorry for me as I felt for myself. Be honest, it happens to all of us. It's our nature to feel sorry when something doesn't go our way. It's our nature to want to take credit when things do go our way. What's not in our nature is to give the glory and praise to God and thank Him no matter what -- but it's so essential that we do.

"I will extol the Lord at all times, His praise will always be on my lips (Psalm 34:1)."

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name (Psalm 100:4)."

"Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever (Psalm 106:1)."

Have an attitude of gratitude. No matter what is going on. No matter how you feel. And especially when you don't feel like giving thanks or praise -- begin your day with gratitude. 

You Were Chosen

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:3-4)."

God chose YOU before the foundations of the world were even in place. Do you know how special that makes you? Before the God of the universe even created a place for you to live, He was thinking of you. He knew even then who you were going to be, what you would look like, and He created all the people in order to ensure you would be born right on time.

My life was filled with horrible situations. I was molested as a very young child, I lived with physical and emotional abuse, I was a drug addict, I've attempted suicide, I was raped... and while I know that it happened, I don't dwell on it because when I look back, all I see is God's footprints on my life. I was called to be His daughter, precious in His sight, and loved beyond measure. The devil tried to kill me, to make me give up, to be such a huge shadow in my life that I couldn't see God but the devil is a liar (John 8:44); he is a thief out to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) our lives. But he can't change God's plans for our lives.

God loves each of us as if we were His only child. He set the plan of grace and mercy through faith in Jesus Christ in motion before He ever decided to separate the light from the darkness. He had each of us in mind the entire time He was creating the heavens and the earth. Even knowing how we would fail, turn against Him, and choose death over life, He remained faithful in His plan for us. Before He became human and died on the Cross, He knew He would because His great love for us prevented Him from doing anything else. He knew His life would be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and even then, He knew we would still fall down. Yet, He could do nothing else but leave the glory of Heaven behind and die on the Cross to save us from ourselves.

"We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:10)."

We are the jewels in Christ's crown. We are the reason for everything He has done since He said, "Let there be light (Genesis 1:3)." Comprehending that God, who had everything He could want just by whispering it into creation, wasn't satisfied with "everything" until it included you is a mind bender! He had the heavens in all their glory. He had Heaven in all its splendor, with the angels and heavenly beings, yet YOU were the one He wanted by His side for all of eternity. You were created specifically for God, by God, to spend forever with God! You couldn't be more special if you tried.

Look in the mirror and remind yourself that no matter what life throws at you, no matter how satan tries to destroy you, the Lord of all Creation holds you in His hand. Remind yourself that you are 'fearfully and wonderfully made' (Psalm 139:14).

"I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:18)."