Tag: faith

Sometimes Accidents Happen

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Sometimes Accidents Happen

Have you done something that was an accident, but undoubtedly a big one? During the flood, I accidently flooded two rooms in about an inch or so of water. With stress already high from the hurricane the accident was ill timed, if there was ever a good time to flood the house. Sadly the room that flooded was a storage room since a great majority of my belongings are still packed.

Something I have been trying to do, though I’m not always successful with it, is changing my perspective in times of stressful situations. When I was watching the movie Paul: Apostle of Christ a few months ago I was captivated by the ability to find peace even in the conditions he was in. Here’s a man wrongly imprisoned and condemned to death for a crime he didn’t commit, and yet he was at peace no matter his circumstances. It isn’t easy finding a positive spin in every situation, but that’s exactly what we need to be doing. With so much negativity in the world, from just the news alone, we can be the difference in this life. The eight hours it took me to clean up the water, and to dry boxes, throw away damaged boxes, allowed me and my mother time to go through boxes, to condense, to sort through and rearrange to clean up the storage room. I’m not making excuses for my major mistake, but I am saying some good can come from even the most dire of situations.

Psalm 107:28-31 (NKJV)

28 Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,

And He brings them out of their distresses.

29 He calms the storm,

So that its waves are still.

30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;

So He guides them to their desired haven.

31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

 

We know that in the center of the storm is Jesus. We know that all things there are lessons to be learned, there are ways to bring glory to Jesus. We cannot walk through this life beating ourselves up for everything mistake. We cannot walk through this life carrying all of our burdens. We cannot allow the burdens to crush us, because if we are to be followers of Christ, we know that we are to give up our burdens, and allow Jesus to take them for us. We are to walk a life as Christ like as we can. We must let go of our storms and watch as Jesus see’s us through.

Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)

22 Cast your burden on the Lord,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

 Matthew 11:28-29 (NKJV)“28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

We see a theme that’s overwhelming undeniable, and that’s us being commanded to give our troubles to the Lord. We were never meant to bare these burdens alone. We know there’s more at work then just the fact that the world can be a cruel place. There is hope in tomorrow that Jesus paid for with blood. We have a ticket to Heaven and we are all cordially invited to join the party. We only need to trust in Jesus Christ, and allow our old selves to be burnt away. We are reborn a new creation, and we find peace in the world. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

 Trust in the reason for the trials, and don’t let the small mistakes bother you too much. Learn from them, and find the silver lining in every trial. There’s always an opportunity to turn to Christ in prayer and find grace and peace in the name of the Lord. Trust, and know, sometimes accidents happen.

Power

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Power

We sit and wait with no control over anything happening around us. With no power and an uncertainty when it will come back, all we can do is ride it out and pray. We often take the simplest prayers for granted just saying we know God is in control, we respect that power, and we humble ourselves submitting all of our grief and anxieties upon the Lord. We cannot allow ourselves to be consumed with worries in situations far beyond our control. As over 321,000 people are without power in North Carolina, all we can do now is pray people were prepared and trust in God’s will. Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice in it. The sun is slowly rising and light now awakes the world around me. The light is a warm comfort, still as the wind howls in the rainless skies. It’s not fear, or apprehension that floods the house, it’s almost a boredom with nothing but silence to listen to.

This quiet time had given me the opportunity to turn to God and pray and have a conversation with my Heavenly Father. I’ve been so busy with school and everything I feel I haven’t been praying as much as I should. It’s truly interesting how obligations and life can so quickly and easily interfere with relations with Jesus. Shame on me for not praying as often as I should. Time is something we don’t have control over, but we do have control over how we use it. I hear so many say, I haven’t had the time, or I’ve been so busy. Time with God should never be one of those things we let slip us by.

So in closing, obviously with no power I want to keep this brief, pray for those affected by Flo. Pray for the floods, the wind, those in its wake. Pray for peace in the midst of the storm. God is still in control, and that we can count on. Be safe, be well.

Trial by Combat

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Trial by Combat

If you really think about it often times the attacks we face from Satan feel like we are in the middle of Trial by Combat. This isn’t far from true. While there are some instances where we may experience the occasional poke, the intermittent frustration, but on some occasions we are in full-blown combat. There are some instances where we enter a season in life where war is on the horizon. It’s not always avoidable, and when the season does come, are you ready for it?

Trial by combat is an old custom in which legal matters were settled by hand-to-hand combat. One of my favorite episodes of Arrow was called “The Climb”. In this episode Oliver Queen challenges Ra’s Al Ghul to a trial by combat. If we really think about the troubles we face, is it so different from days of old? We may not be fighting for some legal matter, or honor, or even a bride, but we are fighting for the witness of our souls. When we face troubled waters we show the world what we’re made of. Satan wants you to fall to the ground bloody and broken. Satan tries to beat you down, punch after punch telling you you’re weak, you’re worthless, and your faith is nothing. When things get bad and your life is falling down Satan will whisper “Where is Jesus now? No where to be seen.” He tries to divide you, to make you feel alone. He preys on your suffering, on your pain, to make it about you, and not bout Christ.

The whole world can be crumbling down and the moment the focus turns away from God and we are focused on the “I” in a problem we have already sinned. The Devil has so many different ways to try and break you down, but when you’re in that ring with him, you need to stay focused on the fight. Don’t loose sight what you’re fighting for and why. Don’t loose hope if the fight starts to go badly because no matter how low you may get Christ is always there with you. There is no doubt that every challenge we face is a fight for who we are in Christ. Even when it seems like it’s the world that is beating you down remember since the fall the Devil roams the world creating dissention at every turn. Know that this is cosmic warfare and take heart we know who’s stronger. Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We are soldiers on the front lines, and we are at war. We are at war with the attacks from the outside, and we are at war with the attacks, the sinful nature within. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV)“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” We must train our minds, and our bodies for the fight. We must be ready when the day comes that we stand toe to toe with Satan that we can resist the temptations, resist the anger within. We will be attacked and it will be relentless. We will face evil and there are day’s evil will wear the face of those we love. The Devil may take everything from us we care about, and try to convince us Jesus let it happen, or worse ‘If Jesus loved you he wouldn’t let it happen.” The lies the Devil tells are always bending the truth, to distort it, to make it sound reasonable, but it’s always 100% lie.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJV)10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [a]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [b]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—“

 No matter the flavor of the battles we know that God is still in control. We know that we will be tested, and we will face many adversities, but we have the Holy Spirit with us always. We shall not fear in this life because no matter what happens in this life, tomorrow is promised in Heaven. Jesus Christ is the only way, and when we trust in Him, we know his promise will never be broken. It doesn’t matter if you fight fear of a hurricane, fear of a job, or fear of an illness, this life will pass one day for all, and tomorrow the glory of Heaven awaits you. I struggle with fears of loneliness but I know that is my trial by combat. Feelings of isolation, of being trapped on an inescapable island away from life is what I often face. I know what my trials by combat are, do you?

 

 

 

They All Leave

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They All Leave

It has dawned on me that in the last two weeks I have watched people who have left my life as quickly as they entered. I have found a hidden talent in m life to somehow push everyone away. I haven’t been able to figure out if it’s what I say, how I say it, or some other combination. It’s hard not to feel as if somehow I am at fault. Time is a constant for us, but sometimes we can get stuck reliving a moment in the past. The past can define our thoughts about ourselves and create unrealistic expectations. The expectations we place on others, or how we see ourselves when something goes wrong can be a place in history that we never left.

When we consider life and it’s ups and downs, the biggest thing we must learn, and the sooner the better, our value, our worth, our joy must all start and end with Jesus Christ. We have received the best gift ever in any lifetime, the gift of grace and love in the blood of Christ. Christ so loved the world that He willingly sacrificed himself for us, whom He clearly loved. No matter what we face in our lives the direction we must always turn is Christ. That’s not to say there won’t be times when you need a doctor for your mental health, no different then if you were to break your arm, or something else. At the center of every storm is an anchor that keeps you grounded, the anchor knowing that Jesus is with you. Feeling alone is something we all have, some more then others, and in reality some people truly are alone. We are given only so many chances to tell the people we love that we love them. We have become a people intolerant, quick to snap, swift to anger, abrupt to leave people in our lives at the slightest cause. With no accountability, no feeling of the hurt inflicted upon others, a new social norm has entered into the world.

We have forgotten how to treat others. We have forgotten the love that Jesus taught, and we have forgotten what love is. We are to love our brothers and sisters. We are to treat others with respect and with love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NKJV)4 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [a]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [b]thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” If love is endured through all things, and it’s patient, why are we so quick to turn our backs on someone we called friend, or worse, someone we told we loved. Hebrews 10:24-2524 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” How often do we gather to lift up someone else up? How often do we put our own needs aside for those of someone else?

In the instruction we are given by Paul Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV) “I, therefore, the prisoner [a]of the Lord, [b]beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We are to humble ourselves, giving ourselves up to Christ, and in our humble state, going forth to lift up others, to pass on the love that was shared for each and every one of us.

It’s not an easy thing loosing so much and keeping the faith. It’s not an easy thing loosing the love you had and trying to understand and find purpose in it. It’s not easy telling yourself you’re special when you feel you’re not. It’s not easy facing pain and loss and telling yourself that Jesus loves you and that love is never ending. It’s hard facing life every day feeling used, abused, worthless, and as I often felt in my past, a piece of used up garbage thrown away with yesterday’s trash. There is a brighter tomorrow but it has to start with your heart. It has to start with the forgiveness to those who’ve done harm to you, and let go of the pain you feel inside. Even though the past is behind you it can feel like it still has a hold of you. The battles you may face could turn to those of the past that seem to hold you as the months and years continue to pass by. People don’t define who you are. People are fickle, judgmental, emotional creatures, and the only opinion you can truly count on is that of the Lord. We must build our confidence trusting in the Lords work, knowing that we were created for a purpose, and that purpose is not to be worthless. God never makes mistakes and in His perfection, created each and every one of us for an intention of love, change, and hope we can bring by living in Christ’s love. Do you want to be remembered as the person who loved, or the person who left? Do you want to be remembered as someone who was patient and caring, or do you want to be remembered as the person as rash, and harsh? We all have choices to make in our lives, and no one can make them for us. We choose who we want to be, and how we want to be remembered. The instructions to living a good life, an honorable life is right there in the scripture of the Holy Bible, but so few ever truly take the time to read it. So few ever take the time to study and understand the meaning of life that’s spelled out in those pages. Instead we want to go our own way, walk our own path, and try to do things the way we want, that we rarely care who we hurt along the way, so long as ‘I’ am happy. What is your happiness worth? Is happiness worth sacrificing others for it? Is a difference of opinion so horrible that we can abandon all hope of friendship? Do we not owe one another an honest explanation to why we hurt them? It’s so easy to have a conversation but we have become cowardly in this life. We run from anything that might be hard, or even perceived as difficult. We forsake the meaning of friendship, and dishonor the meaning of love. At least Jesus didn’t give up on us. At least our savior knew how sinful, and awful we could be, and in the dying breaths still forgave us of our sins, our trespasses, our constant ability to fall short of what we ought to be. No matter how awful we can be, Christ loved us enough to give everything for us, so we could make a simple choice, to follow, or not. No one will ever make our choices for us, but our actions will speak for our character. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, that his dream was for his “four little children will one day be judged not by the color of the of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  We now live in a world where people no longer care about the content of their character, so what is it we care about? The answer is sad, we care about self. We no longer care about the bonds of friendship, or the bond of holy matrimony, instead we care about our own happiness, we care only about what makes us feel good, and at a tiny drop of anything unpleasant we now abandon anything, and anyone. How far we’ve come from the teachings of Christ. How far we’ve fallen into the hands of Satan, and the only way out is the truly take a deep, long, hard look in the mirror and ask, who do I serve, is it God above, or is it the person staring back at you in the mirror?

 

 

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The Future, God’s Got This

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The Future, God’s Got This

As we sit here and wait the impending chance of disaster, I decided to take a look at scripture to see what it says about God’s will and natural disasters. Isaiah 45:7 ESV“I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.” No matter how bad things seem we know that God is in control over everything. We don’t know the reasons, and there’s no guarantee we ever will, but we have to trust and have faith. During times of trouble we have the chance to minister to others, to come together as the body of Christ. Romans 12:12 ESV “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

 When we know God is sovereign over all things, we know that there is something positive in every situation. John 16:33 ESV“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” We have seen in scripture God using the weather for many purposes. Amos 4:7 “I also withheld rain from you,When there were still three months to the harvest.I made it rain on one city,I withheld rain from another city.One part was rained upon,And where it did not rain the part withered.”

 We know what God can do, and we see what God does do. Isaiah 45:7(NKJV) 7 “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’” No matter the life we live there will always be something. No matter how dark things look, we can always turn to Paul to seek guidance in the worst trials we face.

2 Corinthians 6:3-10 (NKJV)3 “We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. 4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much [a]patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by [b]sincere love, 7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

 Be sure to plan ahead and have all your emergency supplies on hand. If you live in the area to be effected by this storm please make sure you have food and water for three days per person. Candles and extra batteries are essential. Make sure you have gas in you car since gas might not be available for a little while. Make sure you secure loose items around your home so they do not become flying projectiles. If you hear it’s a mandatory evacuation please go. No house, or stuff is worth your life. Please be careful going forward, and be there for one another. Remember we are all part of the Body of Christ. Go in love, and support. God Bless.

The Signal

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The Signal

Batman sits atop a roof in the midst of another gloomy night in Gothem. The evening fog covers the low levels of the city, while it looks like a storm is moving in. The lightning and the thunder can be heard in the distance but with each passing minute Batman knows it’s only a matter of minutes before the storm will be right overhead. The wind picks up and his cape begins to flutter in the breeze. Soon the cape is wiping in the wind. Without fail the bright spotlight flickers on and soon the sky is lit with the symbol that criminals fear, the bat shines in the sky, without a moments hesitation Batman dives off the roof, his cape becomes ridged and he’s gliding between the buildings. He’s off to fight crime, causing fear in the criminal underworld. The Bat isn’t a symbol of hope, but fear, a warning to those who wish to do harm to their city.

 

We as Christians have a signal too. We see the cross as our symbol, and even though we worship on our Sundays I ask if we are jumping into action upon the signal God puts into our life? When the Holy Spirit starts to whisper in your ear nudging you to go forth and spread the gospel, are we getting up and going out to evangelize? Imagine if the Bat Signal were to go up into the sky and Batman stopped going out to answer the call. Imagine in our real world, what would happen if when you call 911 and the police, or fire, or paramedics never answered the call. The world would quickly turn to chaos as we have to fend for ourselves, and homes burned, family dies, and law is taken into our own hands.

Are you a person of action when Jesus calls upon you? It’s important to be a people of ‘Do’ and not a people of ‘not my responsibility’. Scripture tells us that we must not just sit on our hand, but work, to do work for the Holy Spirit and we should be driven to do good works.

James 2:14-17 ESV“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

James 1:23-25 ESV“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

Recently I have had the privilege of hearing about the beautiful things happening within my church as we have entered the mission trip presentation month of September. I have heard so many wonderful things about how missions are changing the world one trip at a time. A very good friend’s wife went to Honduras and spoke about the thousands of people that the mission was able to help. Missions that are changing the world is not a new thing, but the question is, are you ignoring the call to get involved? My church offers several different mission trips every year and the call, the signal has been put up for the entire church to see. Not everyone is called to go overseas, but everyone is called. Everyone is called to bring precious glory to the Heavenly Father. We are called to work for the Lord in any way that our gifts allow. I say to you that we are all called, and we all have the power within our own hands, gifted by the Holy Spirit to do good things for God. Jesus Christ has called us to go forth, and we are told to do good in the name of the Lord. Matthew 28:16-20 (NKJV)16 “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [b]Amen.”

We see the symbol of the Cross shining brightly in front of us and those who choose to stay in their seats, comfortable and safe, who refuse to get up and do more then just listen to the sermons on Wednesday and Sunday, I say this, you are sinners. James 4:17 ESV“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”You sit back and let others do what you are called to do, and you dishonor yourselves, and you dishonor the cross. You dishonor the Christ who died for you, and you willfully sin in your laziness, or worse, cowardice. We are told in scripture that we are protected. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NKJV)3 “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” And also Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV)6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

We ought not to be afraid to leave our comfort zones, but courageous that we are doing the Lords work and we will be blessed for it. We have a duty to preach the word of the Lord, to take care of the homeless, the helpless, to give up in spreading the truth of Jesus Christ. We all struggle, and we all fall short, but Christ is always there for us. No matter what you have going on in your life trust in God to help see you through. Make good choices, Godly choices, and plant good seeds so you may bear the sweet fruit, which is fed by the Holy Spirit. Be of joy and courage in your times of troubles, and let Jesus give you strength to show you how to share what you have experienced in Christ with others who’ve never known the name Jesus. Do not doubt yourself, for if God is for you, then who can be against you. The signal is set up, the Cross is lit, and you are being called, will you back down, or will you answer your Lord who calls upon you?

 

 

The Lover After You

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The Lover After You

I was in love, and I was loyal, you took my heart, and you broke it. I took the blame, it was all my fault. What did I do, that was so very wrong? Time went on, and time began to heal, God saw fit to send me to you. Years go by, and the love grew strong, till one day, something was wrong. You decided to leave, you found someone knew, despite the promises between me and you. I watched you leave, as my heart shattered, what could I do, a life without you?

It’s been two years now since my wife left, two years this month. As September is known in my life as the month of Hell, I find it fitting I have started trauma therapy in the month of September. There’s been a lot of emotions lately that have sprung forth from the deepest depths of my psyche, and I often don’t know what to do with them. I find myself longing for companionship now two years later. With very little activity in that department, I have found myself becoming discouraged. The advice I was given recently pointed out that my relationship and trust in God might not be as strong as it should be. I have been thinking about how complete my life would be if I found someone special, but the truth is, God it seems has other plans for me right now. I can’t help but wonder why God’s seen it fit to keep me alone, but in this time of separation, I need to be reminded of the power of the Holy Spirit and trust that God’s grace is sufficient for me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)9 “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

It’s not an easy thing feeling alone and isolated. It’s not an easy thing to desire something with all your fiber of your being, and being told no over and over again. It’s not easy seeing so much happiness come from so much pain. Knowing that God works in every situation, and knowing that in ever instance we have a choice to work to bring glory to God in our actions, or to let opportunities pass us by. I can never be whole without God, and there’s a hole in my heart. It’s likely I’ve been trying to fill it and pack it full of hopes for the future and not actually asking God what His plan is for me. While God will sometimes give you the desires of your heart, God always answers prayers in His time, not our own. Sometimes unanswered prayers are the blessing, and we need to realize that God can not only see the present, but our future also. We must learn to turn to God and allow God’s love to fill us up. We must trust in the love of our Father and crawl into his lap when we feel sorrow. We must learn to trust in Him, and we must learn to be patient in our wait for prayers to be answered. We must learn to continue moving forward and continue running the race even while we wait for the Lord to grant us our desires. It’s not an easy thing waiting on the Lord but we must wait with faith, and know that in God’s time things are perfect for us, and we must be bold, we must be confident because that trust in the Lord must be absolute. We don’t have to like everything God does, but we have to respect it. We can argue with God all we want but we will always loose.

I wait for a new love to find me. I wait for the new tomorrow I have longed so much for. I wait, but I must learn to do so with more patience and more understanding. More importantly, I must remember that it’s not me that’s the problem. I must learn to treat myself with more respect. I must learn that I am worthwhile, and I am worthy of love. I must learn that I am not what I have believed for many years. I am not worthless, and I am worthy of someone’s love. I am special and I have a lot to offer someone that may come into my life. I cannot let the Devil tell me otherwise. I must keep my heart clean from the lies I’m told every day in my life. For so many years I’ve believed the lies that were told to me, and now I’m trying to rewrite a lifetime of beliefs that are harmful. It’s not easy to move forward after you loose something so precious to you. It’s not easy fighting back against the constant rejection and testing of your faith, but in all things Christ will overpower the lies of the Devil. Know in your heart that when someone leaves you, or when someone cheats, cheating isn’t about you it’s about them. It’s about their own personal gratification and what they will do to feel good, no amount of pain they cause others will stop them. You will find a new love someday, have faith in God, and trust in the plan.

The Rough Days

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The Rough Days

When someone tells you “I don’t care” in regards to a way you feel about something, I think few things in life cut that deep. We are lucky to never hear that from God. God has never once said He doesn’t care about us, or our feelings. In fact, scripture tells us to cast all our anxieties, our worries, and struggles unto the Lord and He will give us strength and peace. So if you’re feeling like you’re alone today, or maybe you are alone today, remember the Lord God is always with us. He shall never leave you or forsake you. Trust in God to deliver you from the storm and keep moving forward. Some days you find yourself overwhelmed with spiritual attacks and everything else seems like an amazing struggle, such as posting a blog. The day was such an off day for me, not only did I not post, but I didn’t prepare one for the next day. Struggling with a failing AC unit in NC. On a HOT September day, dealing with homework, and recovering from the hurtful things that had been said early in the day, before I knew it the day had slipped away until it was after midnight. Some days it’s like you’re shackled and you can’t do anything to get yourself free. We are only human, and we can only take so much before we just need a little while away.

 

It’s not easy living your life having so many people tell you what your value is. It’s not easy fighting the insecurities that are lied to you from the Devil. It’s not easy wondering if you could have done something better, or should have done something different. The thing is, we are called by God to do God’s work, and God makes no mistakes. God calls each and every one of us into service who will head the call. The signal is shown because Jesus Christ said go forth and baptize all the nations. If we are called for such an amazing service, an amazing honor that God would use each and every one of us for the glory of Heaven, then we should know how much value Jesus places on each and every one of us.

 

If we were superheroes for Christ we would have a signal in the sky telling us where we needed to go to minister to the helpless, the hopeless, the lost. We don’t have the luxury of having some ‘Bat’ signal in the sky, but we do have the Holy Spirit to guide us where we need to be. We must learn to answer the call, and realize that no matter how we feel, the lies we believe aren’t truth. God’s truth is that every one of us is made in His image. Every single person has a purpose and are made exactly how we need to be made. We encounter trials and trauma’s that can often leave a lasting scar and sometimes we suffer long term. The Devil will influence people to treat us poorly and sometimes it makes us feel bad, and in worst cases it makes us feel worthless. While it’s not easy to overcome difficult trauma’s we must not fall victim to the hurtful lies. Find value in your work for Christ and you will find your value in the Love Christ has for you.

 

God is Good

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God is Good

This seems like such an easy message, but so few truly understand just how impactful it can be, God is good, and God is good all the time. I have been down and from the deepest pits of despair I have know that God is still there. I may not have always been on speaking terms with God for my own selfish, lost reasons, but God as Abba (Father), has never turned His Holy back on me. When we are upset and angry with God it’s us that walks away. We are children who storm off and slam the door to our rooms. I was an angry person for so long I ran from God. We would fight constantly. I felt like I was being taken out to the whipping shed so often I couldn’t sit down anymore. What I couldn’t understand was it wasn’t God, God wasn’t the source of my pain, the Devil was.

It’s easy to feel like you’re alone, but the truth is we are never alone. Romans 8:28 ESV“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” We know that no matter what we are going through God is there. Psalm 31:19 ESV“Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!”

Living life with depression isn’t easy. Living life with severe depression can be debilitating. Knowing God is there is sometimes the only hope people have that suffer from depression is trusting God is still there. I’ve spent time laid up in my bed and the only thought that’s gotten me up is knowing that I need to post a blog entry, or homework, or to go to church. Knowing these things are to bring glory to God is often the only thing that gets me moving. I can’t imagine how people who believe in nothing find anything hopeful when things in life don’t go very well. Worse, when people suffer traumas and if not one, or three, or even five traumas later if they believe in nothing, how they manage to keep moving forward is something I will never understand. Psalm 145:9 ESV“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” Knowing everything the light touches, and everything it doesn’t is all under the mercy of God is such a warm thought. Knowing that everything in my heart is touched by God, and every sorrow I feel Jesus Christ felt and took it for me. Knowing that the love of Jesus Christ is what lights up the darkness. The darkness that covers those with true horrors in their life is lit up by the grace of God.

Sometimes in life when you need to fix something, you have to make a mess before you build it back up and make it pretty. The human heart, and the psyche are sometimes the same way. In trauma therapy you often need to talk about the worst things in your life you you’ve ever experienced, and you talk about it some more, and then some more, and each time it feels like the wounds are fresh, just as painful as the first day it happened. Going over the events, and talking about them, and talking about the emotions in a particular way is how we slowly start to clean up the mess. Knowing that God is there keeping you safe, keeping me safe, has been a comfort. Knowing I am broken to pieces right now, is only a temporary thing because I know that one day God will use me to help others and bring precious glory to His holy name. Trusting in the Lord and that He has plans for me keeps me fighting and moving forward. Even when I don’t think much of myself, I know that the Lord loves me. Jesus Christ died for me, and I know that one day I will leave this broken life behind, and I will go home to where I truly belong, and why, is because God is good all the time. God is Love, God is Grace, God is Joy, and God uses broken things just like me. If God can use a broken man like myself to spread the Gospel, God can use anyone to show others hope and joy, and faith that tomorrow will be better because this life is only temporary. We have work to do in this world, and we can’t let the Devil win. We must hold strong, and never give up. If God never gives up on us, we can’t give up on ourselves either, and we certainly can’t give up on God. We are never alone.

Drive

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Drive

Sometimes in life when the dogs are hyper, and the stress is mounting, all you can do is go for a relaxing drive. Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch and my oldest dog Riley was restless. After playing with her, and trying to figure out what she wanted, I asked if she wanted to go for a car ride. She went straight for her Service vest and I said okay. Cooper my youngest dog, who doesn’t usually want anything to do with the car decided he also wanted to go, so we got in the car and started to drive. Before too long I decided to drive to the North Carolina, Virginia border, and then decided to go further. In total the ride was about an hour and fifteen minutes. While I was out driving it occurred to me, as long as there wasn’t much traffic it was nice to be out on the road. By time I got back home it turned out to be a nice time out with the dogs.

How often in life do we forget to take a moment for ourselves? I know for me, I need to schedule fun into my life because if I don’t I forget, and the mundane of life creeps along until my weeks or months have finally gotten to me. It’s important for all of us to remember that doing things we enjoy, and taking to recharge is essential. Christ often took time to retreat away from his friends to have quiet meditation, time to rest and spend with God. Luke 5:16(NKJV) 16 “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”

Christ was leading by example, and the example started in Genesis as we see God resting on that seventh day. It’s important to take time to rest, or even just go for a relaxing drive with the animals. For me, going for a drive with the Dogs was going for a drive with friends. While I was out driving I had time to turn to God. I listened to K-Love, which always plays good Christian music. I was reminded of the scripture in Matthew 11:28-30(NKJV) 28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

In this verse you find a simple thought, come to Christ with everything you have, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, you shall be renewed. Christ took the burden of sin for us, so everything else in comparison is easy. Not saying we don’t suffer in this life, but it’s certainly better then fiery pits of Hell. Take time to recharge your battery once in a while. Take time every day to turn to God with praise, worship, and unloading your burdens. Have that relationship with God because there’s no other relationship that’s more important. We should all remember to find a little rest each and every day.