I hope to see you there!
10.08.2013
I moved!
Well, after 3(!) years with Thoughtful Musings of a Teenage Dreamer, I decided that it was time to do something different. I wanted to try out a different blog host website, and a different name, so I did it! From now on, I won't be posting at this page anymore...so come join me at http://thebelovedblogg.wordpress.com/!! All my old posts are all over there, and my new ones will be too!
10.02.2013
Walking the Talk Pt. 2
Why do Christians have such a bad name in our society?
Actually, that's an interesting question...because Christians label themselves by the most beautiful name in the universe. And yet, our society generally views us in a very negative light. Why? Well, even when Jesus was on earth, He said that the world would hate His followers because it hates Him. But honestly, I feel like sometimes our behavior is responsible for that even so. In a previous post, Walking the Talk, I talked a lot about this, but today I have a little more to say.
I was reading Titus 2 today and came across this: "Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way." (Titus 2:9-10)
God wants to attract people to Him. And He wants to do that through us. But are we doing a very good job? If we're bickering and bashing all the time...how is that attractive?
I think too many Christians in our American society today have gotten so wrapped up in the "rules" and in "right and wrong" that they've forgotten what the name they wear actually stands for. Yes, in the Word, Jesus talks a lot about sin, but He also talks a lot about love. I think John 3:17 says it well, "God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." If Jesus didn't even come to judge the world, why are we so intent on doing that? Our mission is to go out into the world and tell people about God's love, not to tell people that they're wrong.
I absolutely believe in right and wrong, and I believe that the Bible clearly outlines it. I am no advocate of watering down Scripture to make it more attractive. I believe that we should speak the truth, but that we should speak it at the appropriate time, and above all, in love. That's the point. After all, what did Jesus say the second greatest commandment was? To judge your neighbor as yourself? Nope. To love.
Please don't get me wrong, I know a lot of Christians who are really good at loving people. Not all Christians are judgmental and hateful; I know lots of wonderful Christ-followers. However, I believe that we can all do a better job of loving, and maybe if we did a better job, that would counter the judgment that comes from certain other Christians. I'll be honest: I know for me, personally, that I'm good at ignoring people I don't want to love. I'm not mean to them, but I don't love them like I should. She swears a lot and talks about all the bad stuff she does on the weekends? Nope, I'm staying away from that, not talking to her!...Really, Katie? Did Jesus ever ignore anyone because He disagreed with them? I don't think so. Whether we straight-out bash non-believers, or we just stay away from them while judging silently, the point is, we aren't loving them. And that's our mission.
I think the world has had enough judgment from us, but not enough love. Can we challenge ourselves to love the people that we disagree with? I don't mean your fellow believer who you get into theological debates with. I mean the people you really disagree with. Like the homosexual person you work with. Or the atheist you go to class with. Can we try to really love them like Jesus does? Can we, instead of getting into moral debates, or disregarding them, just be a friend to them and show ourselves to be "trustworthy and good?" Because that's how we love like Jesus loves. That's how we show the Gospel to be attractive. That's how we walk the talk.
Actually, that's an interesting question...because Christians label themselves by the most beautiful name in the universe. And yet, our society generally views us in a very negative light. Why? Well, even when Jesus was on earth, He said that the world would hate His followers because it hates Him. But honestly, I feel like sometimes our behavior is responsible for that even so. In a previous post, Walking the Talk, I talked a lot about this, but today I have a little more to say.
I was reading Titus 2 today and came across this: "Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way." (Titus 2:9-10)
God wants to attract people to Him. And He wants to do that through us. But are we doing a very good job? If we're bickering and bashing all the time...how is that attractive?
I think too many Christians in our American society today have gotten so wrapped up in the "rules" and in "right and wrong" that they've forgotten what the name they wear actually stands for. Yes, in the Word, Jesus talks a lot about sin, but He also talks a lot about love. I think John 3:17 says it well, "God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." If Jesus didn't even come to judge the world, why are we so intent on doing that? Our mission is to go out into the world and tell people about God's love, not to tell people that they're wrong.
I absolutely believe in right and wrong, and I believe that the Bible clearly outlines it. I am no advocate of watering down Scripture to make it more attractive. I believe that we should speak the truth, but that we should speak it at the appropriate time, and above all, in love. That's the point. After all, what did Jesus say the second greatest commandment was? To judge your neighbor as yourself? Nope. To love.
Please don't get me wrong, I know a lot of Christians who are really good at loving people. Not all Christians are judgmental and hateful; I know lots of wonderful Christ-followers. However, I believe that we can all do a better job of loving, and maybe if we did a better job, that would counter the judgment that comes from certain other Christians. I'll be honest: I know for me, personally, that I'm good at ignoring people I don't want to love. I'm not mean to them, but I don't love them like I should. She swears a lot and talks about all the bad stuff she does on the weekends? Nope, I'm staying away from that, not talking to her!...Really, Katie? Did Jesus ever ignore anyone because He disagreed with them? I don't think so. Whether we straight-out bash non-believers, or we just stay away from them while judging silently, the point is, we aren't loving them. And that's our mission.
I think the world has had enough judgment from us, but not enough love. Can we challenge ourselves to love the people that we disagree with? I don't mean your fellow believer who you get into theological debates with. I mean the people you really disagree with. Like the homosexual person you work with. Or the atheist you go to class with. Can we try to really love them like Jesus does? Can we, instead of getting into moral debates, or disregarding them, just be a friend to them and show ourselves to be "trustworthy and good?" Because that's how we love like Jesus loves. That's how we show the Gospel to be attractive. That's how we walk the talk.
9.27.2013
Faith
God is really on top of things. Go figure! The past few weeks, I've been struggling with the season I'm in (physically and spiritually), and have been faced with a lot of "unknowns". Being somewhat of a control freak and a "planner" personality, I've been struggling with the fact that I can't see a whole lot into my future right now.
And, cue God. What does He keep reminding me of through His word, through songs I hear on the radio, and through sermons? Faith. Because, after all, faith is "the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1) Things we cannot see. You're pretty clever, Lord.
Before this morning, I'm not sure if I had ever read Hebrews 11 all the way through. Chapters 10 and 12? Totally. But for some reason, I just had never gotten to 11. So it's interesting that today was the day I read it, maybe for the first time, considering that it's all about faith. Most of the chapter is spent recalling a lot of Old Testament events and showing that they happened because of faith. Verses 33-38 are a good sum-up: "By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of a sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death."
So these verses show all the awesome things that happened when people had faith. I guess faith is pretty great! It is. But I find the next few verses really interesting, too: "But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed by the sword."
Wait, so...what happened to faith? Why didn't these people get saved because of their faith like the others?
I believe they still did. Though the ones who were tortured and killed for Christ didn't see earthly reward for their faith, their faith in heaven was solid and was rewarded, because "they placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection." Even when things looked bad, and it didn't look like they were going to make it, these people still had faith. Perhaps not faith in getting physically rescued from their predicaments, but even stronger faith in eternal life.
There is always a reason to have faith, and His name is the Lord. Whether He chooses to reward your faith by physically rescuing you or letting you enter Paradise is up to Him.
I think the point of the entire passage from Hebrews 11 is that faith in God is never in vain. No matter the circumstances, if you have faith in your present trouble, you will be rewarded.
And, cue God. What does He keep reminding me of through His word, through songs I hear on the radio, and through sermons? Faith. Because, after all, faith is "the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1) Things we cannot see. You're pretty clever, Lord.
Before this morning, I'm not sure if I had ever read Hebrews 11 all the way through. Chapters 10 and 12? Totally. But for some reason, I just had never gotten to 11. So it's interesting that today was the day I read it, maybe for the first time, considering that it's all about faith. Most of the chapter is spent recalling a lot of Old Testament events and showing that they happened because of faith. Verses 33-38 are a good sum-up: "By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of a sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death."
So these verses show all the awesome things that happened when people had faith. I guess faith is pretty great! It is. But I find the next few verses really interesting, too: "But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed by the sword."
Wait, so...what happened to faith? Why didn't these people get saved because of their faith like the others?
I believe they still did. Though the ones who were tortured and killed for Christ didn't see earthly reward for their faith, their faith in heaven was solid and was rewarded, because "they placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection." Even when things looked bad, and it didn't look like they were going to make it, these people still had faith. Perhaps not faith in getting physically rescued from their predicaments, but even stronger faith in eternal life.
There is always a reason to have faith, and His name is the Lord. Whether He chooses to reward your faith by physically rescuing you or letting you enter Paradise is up to Him.
I think the point of the entire passage from Hebrews 11 is that faith in God is never in vain. No matter the circumstances, if you have faith in your present trouble, you will be rewarded.
9.11.2013
9/11
Every time September 11th comes, social media is flooded with prayers, photos, and statuses related to the terrorist attack in 2001. Things like freedom and sacrifice are mentioned a lot. Usually I contribute to it all with the same theme. But as the 11th rolls around again this year, I'm not thinking about taking a stand against terrorists, or fighting for freedom.
I'm thinking about love.
Why did we get attacked on September 11th, 2001? There, of course, are a lot of reasons...but to me, it comes down to the fact that the people who carried out the attacks on that day didn't know about the value of human life, or about equality; to sum it all up, they didn't know about love. Would they have attacked our country if they truly believed that every person is valuable? That every person has a life just like them? Would they have killed all those innocent people if they believed that those people were loved? Would they have done this if they knew that they were loved? I don't think so.
I'm not trying to be flowery here. This is a real-world issue, I get it, and just saying, "love is all you need" isn't going to cut it. Honestly, most of the politics that swirl around these issues confuse me; they're over my head. I'm sure the people who carried out the attacks that day had several reasons for their actions, and the reasons were probably very complex. I'm sure they were intelligent people. But in spite of all their intelligence and complexity, they totally missed something extremely important: the people they were attacking were people just like them. Regardless of who they were and what they believed. What a person believes and what nationality they are has absolutely no bearing on their value...or their relation to you. The bottom line is, everyone has value. The Americans that got attacked on the 11th hurt for a very long time, and are still hurting. And the people who attacked them would have hurt in the same way if it had happened to them. Because despite differing beliefs, we are all human. We know what it feels like to hurt. None of us want to. So why do we insist on inflicting that hurt on others?
Do we want peace? Truly? Then we need to start to love. It isn't a question of who's right. It's a question of who is loved, and who has value, and the answer to that is: everyone. To me, 9/11 represents what happens when love is not put first. It represents what happens when selfish ambition, pride, and hate are prioritized. The result is chaos, and pain, and more hate. It makes me very sad to think about the families who lost loved ones on that day, but it makes me even sadder to think of the blindness that started this in the first place. The people who launched the attack on September 11th may have wanted chaos and pain for our country, and they got it. But no one wants pain for themselves. If they had only realized before that these people were just like them, that these people deserve to be loved (because they are loved by a much higher power), then I don't believe those attacks would have taken place.
There's nothing we can do about what happened in 2001. But today, we can do something to overcome the mindset that started it. We can refuse to view people as just citizens, or just beliefs. We can begin to view them as living, breathing, talking, walking, thinking, hurting people who have amazing value, no matter what they believe or who they are. We can't change everyone's perspective, but we can change ours. It starts with us, it starts with you, it starts with me.
And I choose to love.
I'm thinking about love.
Why did we get attacked on September 11th, 2001? There, of course, are a lot of reasons...but to me, it comes down to the fact that the people who carried out the attacks on that day didn't know about the value of human life, or about equality; to sum it all up, they didn't know about love. Would they have attacked our country if they truly believed that every person is valuable? That every person has a life just like them? Would they have killed all those innocent people if they believed that those people were loved? Would they have done this if they knew that they were loved? I don't think so.
I'm not trying to be flowery here. This is a real-world issue, I get it, and just saying, "love is all you need" isn't going to cut it. Honestly, most of the politics that swirl around these issues confuse me; they're over my head. I'm sure the people who carried out the attacks that day had several reasons for their actions, and the reasons were probably very complex. I'm sure they were intelligent people. But in spite of all their intelligence and complexity, they totally missed something extremely important: the people they were attacking were people just like them. Regardless of who they were and what they believed. What a person believes and what nationality they are has absolutely no bearing on their value...or their relation to you. The bottom line is, everyone has value. The Americans that got attacked on the 11th hurt for a very long time, and are still hurting. And the people who attacked them would have hurt in the same way if it had happened to them. Because despite differing beliefs, we are all human. We know what it feels like to hurt. None of us want to. So why do we insist on inflicting that hurt on others?
Do we want peace? Truly? Then we need to start to love. It isn't a question of who's right. It's a question of who is loved, and who has value, and the answer to that is: everyone. To me, 9/11 represents what happens when love is not put first. It represents what happens when selfish ambition, pride, and hate are prioritized. The result is chaos, and pain, and more hate. It makes me very sad to think about the families who lost loved ones on that day, but it makes me even sadder to think of the blindness that started this in the first place. The people who launched the attack on September 11th may have wanted chaos and pain for our country, and they got it. But no one wants pain for themselves. If they had only realized before that these people were just like them, that these people deserve to be loved (because they are loved by a much higher power), then I don't believe those attacks would have taken place.
There's nothing we can do about what happened in 2001. But today, we can do something to overcome the mindset that started it. We can refuse to view people as just citizens, or just beliefs. We can begin to view them as living, breathing, talking, walking, thinking, hurting people who have amazing value, no matter what they believe or who they are. We can't change everyone's perspective, but we can change ours. It starts with us, it starts with you, it starts with me.
And I choose to love.
9.02.2013
Summer 2013
Happy September!
Looking back on my last few posts, I realized that I really only posted one or two posts the whole summer..I usually don't like to use busyness as an excuse because it's usually not true for me, but I guess I was sort of busy the past few months? All I know is, they went by really quickly!
I really want to post more now that summer is done! I truly love this blog and I love writing out things that God is teaching me and hopefully encouraging you. As I've said before, I don't know who reads this, or if anyone does, but that's not the point. I do this because I love it. (Although if you do happen to read a post and are encouraged by it, do tell me. ;)
Anyway, I found my post last summer where I made a list of all the things that made me smile in those few months. I don't like to post "personal" things too much, because honestly I'm afraid you might be bored, but I decided to do it again this year, if nothing else just to express my thankfulness for the things that happened this summer and to celebrate them. I encourage you to do this too, even if you don't post it anywhere.
Things That Made Me Smile in Summer 2013:
-beautiful blue skies
-our ridiculously adorable new dog
-my parents
-the Lord's presence (so many times!)
-time to rest
-the precision of God's word to my life
-awesome photography opportunities
-engaged people
-time with best friends
-deep conversations
-Lucky Charms
-being part of a team
-kids and their unrestrained personalities
-the Lord giving me super-sensitivity to His presence
-getting my license (fi.na.lly.)
-happy music
-making new friends of all ages
-going to Brazil and all that went with it
-God's grace
-birthday fun
-friends (all of them.)
And so much more!!
Wow. Well, I feel better already. Really..if you're ever doubting your blessings, make a list like this. It helps. This summer went by really quickly, but it was absolutely wonderful. Thank you Lord, for summer 2013!
Looking back on my last few posts, I realized that I really only posted one or two posts the whole summer..I usually don't like to use busyness as an excuse because it's usually not true for me, but I guess I was sort of busy the past few months? All I know is, they went by really quickly!
I really want to post more now that summer is done! I truly love this blog and I love writing out things that God is teaching me and hopefully encouraging you. As I've said before, I don't know who reads this, or if anyone does, but that's not the point. I do this because I love it. (Although if you do happen to read a post and are encouraged by it, do tell me. ;)
Anyway, I found my post last summer where I made a list of all the things that made me smile in those few months. I don't like to post "personal" things too much, because honestly I'm afraid you might be bored, but I decided to do it again this year, if nothing else just to express my thankfulness for the things that happened this summer and to celebrate them. I encourage you to do this too, even if you don't post it anywhere.
Things That Made Me Smile in Summer 2013:
-beautiful blue skies
-our ridiculously adorable new dog
-my parents
-the Lord's presence (so many times!)
-time to rest
-the precision of God's word to my life
-awesome photography opportunities
-engaged people
-time with best friends
-deep conversations
-Lucky Charms
-being part of a team
-kids and their unrestrained personalities
-the Lord giving me super-sensitivity to His presence
-getting my license (fi.na.lly.)
-happy music
-making new friends of all ages
-going to Brazil and all that went with it
-God's grace
-birthday fun
-friends (all of them.)
And so much more!!
Wow. Well, I feel better already. Really..if you're ever doubting your blessings, make a list like this. It helps. This summer went by really quickly, but it was absolutely wonderful. Thank you Lord, for summer 2013!
6.22.2013
Temporarily Out of Order
So, I've been struggling. A lot. Usually I write a new post because God has given me some sort of new insight or answer to a problem I've been having, but I deal with a lot of things that I don't have fresh, new insights for. Many times, it's the same thing over and over again, and it's painful.
Life is sometimes really painful. I haven't experienced pain near what other people have - but I can still testify to the fact that everyone knows: life is painful. It's not always painful; there are really good times. Those times can last for years and years. But there are also really bad times. And those seem to go on for (it feels like) ever.
But you know what I realized as I was struggling this time? This time that has gone on for months, but has seemed to last forever?
It's temporary.
Yeah. The pain? That's temporary. Not to be replaced with more pain, but to be replaced with glory.
Mhm. Glory. And good. And Jesus.
Although life is painful, life is temporary. And the pain is temporary. If you are a born-again Christian, your pain (however extreme) is temporary. Meaning, there will be an end to it.
It seems elementary, but it's easy to forget when you're right in the middle of some struggle. Can I say it again, since it feels so good to say? This pain is temporary.
But the Bible says it better than I do. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
"Small" troubles? That won't last "very long"? Uh, my troubles are big, and they've already lasted for long enough. That's my knee-jerk reaction to these verses. But, praise God, Paul wrote these verses because God had shown him a glimpse of the bigger picture.
Though the troubles we face in our life may last for years, that time is so short compared to the eternal glory that comes afterward. Though they may be painful beyond belief, they're small, and even 'light' compared to the enormous, beautiful, real glory that you're going to see a little later. I see it as a minute of pain for 100 years of happiness. That minute may be really intense, and it might really hurt during that time-period, but in the end, it's only a minute. And then it's over, never to return again. Because it was temporary.
In the end, life is painful. The struggle is real. But the struggle is also (one last time) temporary. You know what's not temporary? Jesus. And His glory. If you hold out in this minute of pain, you'll get to stay around for the lifetime of His glory. I'd say it's a good trade-off.
Life is sometimes really painful. I haven't experienced pain near what other people have - but I can still testify to the fact that everyone knows: life is painful. It's not always painful; there are really good times. Those times can last for years and years. But there are also really bad times. And those seem to go on for (it feels like) ever.
But you know what I realized as I was struggling this time? This time that has gone on for months, but has seemed to last forever?
It's temporary.
Yeah. The pain? That's temporary. Not to be replaced with more pain, but to be replaced with glory.
Mhm. Glory. And good. And Jesus.
Although life is painful, life is temporary. And the pain is temporary. If you are a born-again Christian, your pain (however extreme) is temporary. Meaning, there will be an end to it.
It seems elementary, but it's easy to forget when you're right in the middle of some struggle. Can I say it again, since it feels so good to say? This pain is temporary.
But the Bible says it better than I do. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
"Small" troubles? That won't last "very long"? Uh, my troubles are big, and they've already lasted for long enough. That's my knee-jerk reaction to these verses. But, praise God, Paul wrote these verses because God had shown him a glimpse of the bigger picture.
Though the troubles we face in our life may last for years, that time is so short compared to the eternal glory that comes afterward. Though they may be painful beyond belief, they're small, and even 'light' compared to the enormous, beautiful, real glory that you're going to see a little later. I see it as a minute of pain for 100 years of happiness. That minute may be really intense, and it might really hurt during that time-period, but in the end, it's only a minute. And then it's over, never to return again. Because it was temporary.
In the end, life is painful. The struggle is real. But the struggle is also (one last time) temporary. You know what's not temporary? Jesus. And His glory. If you hold out in this minute of pain, you'll get to stay around for the lifetime of His glory. I'd say it's a good trade-off.
4.19.2013
Light
I imagine if aliens do exist and are somehow watching our planet right now, they'd think we were pretty crazy.
We shoot each other. We stab each other. We blow each other up. What a world.
There seems to be a lot of darkness in the world lately. If it isn't a stabbing at my local community college, it's a huge earthquake overseas or a bombing on the other side of the country. There's a lot of darkness.
But there is also light. John 1:5 says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it."
In tragic situations like these, there is always the light that shines out brightly, whether in the form of a schoolteacher giving her life for her students or group of teenagers traveling to another country to help give out provisions.
"Light" is not an ambiguous phrase referring to good deeds or goodness of heart. "The light" always refers to the goodness of God.
In the midst of terrible darkness, God is working. To Him, darkness is as bright as day - literally and figuratively. God has a plan in the midst of the darkness of the world. He says in Romans that "all things work together for the good of those who love Him". There is so much light.
He also promises to restore. There are so, so many verses in His word that talk about restoration (read Isaiah or the Psalms). But I love Isaiah 42:16 in particular: "I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them." The Light will not forsake us.
Terrible things happen around us, but the light will remain. The Light is Jesus. He is not a historical figure who died 2,000 years ago; neither is He a vague, impersonal being. He is the ever-present, all-sufficient Son of God who is the constant Light in our dark world. All the "good deeds" and figurative "light" that we see amid the darkness stems from, I believe, God's goodness. He works through people and situations in these times to shine His Light.
There's a lot of darkness, and it's easy to get discouraged by it. But there's also a lot of light. And the darkness can never extinguish that Light.
We shoot each other. We stab each other. We blow each other up. What a world.
There seems to be a lot of darkness in the world lately. If it isn't a stabbing at my local community college, it's a huge earthquake overseas or a bombing on the other side of the country. There's a lot of darkness.
But there is also light. John 1:5 says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it."
In tragic situations like these, there is always the light that shines out brightly, whether in the form of a schoolteacher giving her life for her students or group of teenagers traveling to another country to help give out provisions.
"Light" is not an ambiguous phrase referring to good deeds or goodness of heart. "The light" always refers to the goodness of God.
In the midst of terrible darkness, God is working. To Him, darkness is as bright as day - literally and figuratively. God has a plan in the midst of the darkness of the world. He says in Romans that "all things work together for the good of those who love Him". There is so much light.
He also promises to restore. There are so, so many verses in His word that talk about restoration (read Isaiah or the Psalms). But I love Isaiah 42:16 in particular: "I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them." The Light will not forsake us.
Terrible things happen around us, but the light will remain. The Light is Jesus. He is not a historical figure who died 2,000 years ago; neither is He a vague, impersonal being. He is the ever-present, all-sufficient Son of God who is the constant Light in our dark world. All the "good deeds" and figurative "light" that we see amid the darkness stems from, I believe, God's goodness. He works through people and situations in these times to shine His Light.
There's a lot of darkness, and it's easy to get discouraged by it. But there's also a lot of light. And the darkness can never extinguish that Light.
3.14.2013
Untouchable
God's word is so good. People say that God's word is "alive" - I know this is true from my personal experience. Don't you love how you can read a particular passage ten times and pick up different things in it each time? God opens my eyes so much to certain things He's saying in certain verses - verses I've read for years, yet this time, with totally new insights.
I had one of these "lightbulb" moments with Psalm 91 recently, and I want to share it with you.
If you don't recall, Psalm 91 is the, "He will order his angels to protect you....they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone..." chapter. The same one Satan so famously tempted Jesus with in the desert. Satan continues to use it today. It's a fantastic chapter, but, the way I see it, Satan can use it to make us doubt God, or not trust Him. A good portion of the chapter is about how we, as God's people, should not fear disease, wars, or anything else, because he will protect us, "though ten thousand are dying around you." That sounds awesome. But wait...what about all those wonderful Christians who have cancer? What about those who are struck by "the disaster that strikes in midday"? (Natural disasters, plane crashes, etc.) Where was God then? Wait a second...does God really protect His people?
Please keep reading, because I don't want to leave you with that. Honestly, this is what I always thought when I read this passage. I trust God and always have tried my best to do so, but every time I read this, I was confused, and sort of just ignored it. But my "lightbulb moment" was God's way of shifting my perspective on the verse. (Side note: it's funny and great how God sees things in our hearts that are unresolved, and without us even asking, He takes care of it.) We could take the verse the way I used to, and try to explain it away, but could it be that we've been interpreting it wrongly this whole time?
You should read the whole chapter, because it's great, but here's the chunk of it that I saw in a new way:
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
Disclaimer: You may have your own thoughts on this passage, and I respect that. My perspective is not the only perspective, or even the "correct" one. This is just the revelation I felt that I got. :)
Honestly, I am afraid of the "terrors of night" and the "disease that stalks in the darkness". So if I took this verse to heart and decided not to worry about them...would God really protect me from all of those? Here's the thing: I don't think this passage is saying that death and disease and calamity will never come to me. It says that "these evils will not touch you." These evils may touch my body, but because I am God's child and by virtue of the fact that I "live in the shelter of the Most High", they will never touch my soul.
This passage made a lot more sense to me when I realized that my soul is protected by God, and though a lot of terrible things may happen to my body, "no evil will conquer" me. My soul can never be taken by these things, because it's written in the Book of Life and can never be erased. I may be racked and shaken, but I will not be moved. These things may kill me on the outside, but they can't kill me on the inside. They cannot get to my heart and my spirit, because God protects me.
Rest in the shadow of the Most High. It's very hard sometimes to trust God in the midst of storms, but He will reward you if you do. Remember that this world is temporary. Your troubles are temporary, but God has given you an eternal soul. If you are a child of God, nothing you go through can take your identity away, or crush your soul. Your soul is untouchable.
"The Lord says, 'I will rescue those who love me, I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.'" (Psalm 91: 14-16)
I had one of these "lightbulb" moments with Psalm 91 recently, and I want to share it with you.
If you don't recall, Psalm 91 is the, "He will order his angels to protect you....they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone..." chapter. The same one Satan so famously tempted Jesus with in the desert. Satan continues to use it today. It's a fantastic chapter, but, the way I see it, Satan can use it to make us doubt God, or not trust Him. A good portion of the chapter is about how we, as God's people, should not fear disease, wars, or anything else, because he will protect us, "though ten thousand are dying around you." That sounds awesome. But wait...what about all those wonderful Christians who have cancer? What about those who are struck by "the disaster that strikes in midday"? (Natural disasters, plane crashes, etc.) Where was God then? Wait a second...does God really protect His people?
Please keep reading, because I don't want to leave you with that. Honestly, this is what I always thought when I read this passage. I trust God and always have tried my best to do so, but every time I read this, I was confused, and sort of just ignored it. But my "lightbulb moment" was God's way of shifting my perspective on the verse. (Side note: it's funny and great how God sees things in our hearts that are unresolved, and without us even asking, He takes care of it.) We could take the verse the way I used to, and try to explain it away, but could it be that we've been interpreting it wrongly this whole time?
You should read the whole chapter, because it's great, but here's the chunk of it that I saw in a new way:
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
Disclaimer: You may have your own thoughts on this passage, and I respect that. My perspective is not the only perspective, or even the "correct" one. This is just the revelation I felt that I got. :)
Honestly, I am afraid of the "terrors of night" and the "disease that stalks in the darkness". So if I took this verse to heart and decided not to worry about them...would God really protect me from all of those? Here's the thing: I don't think this passage is saying that death and disease and calamity will never come to me. It says that "these evils will not touch you." These evils may touch my body, but because I am God's child and by virtue of the fact that I "live in the shelter of the Most High", they will never touch my soul.
This passage made a lot more sense to me when I realized that my soul is protected by God, and though a lot of terrible things may happen to my body, "no evil will conquer" me. My soul can never be taken by these things, because it's written in the Book of Life and can never be erased. I may be racked and shaken, but I will not be moved. These things may kill me on the outside, but they can't kill me on the inside. They cannot get to my heart and my spirit, because God protects me.
Rest in the shadow of the Most High. It's very hard sometimes to trust God in the midst of storms, but He will reward you if you do. Remember that this world is temporary. Your troubles are temporary, but God has given you an eternal soul. If you are a child of God, nothing you go through can take your identity away, or crush your soul. Your soul is untouchable.
"The Lord says, 'I will rescue those who love me, I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.'" (Psalm 91: 14-16)
2.16.2013
Encouragement Shpeel Pt. 2
I started out writing this post with a long introduction and all my thoughts leading up to what I wanted to say, but I really wanted to get to the point. So, without an interesting, quirky introduction or preface, here it is:
If you're a human being like me, you are probably struggling with something in your life right now. It could be big, it could be small. It could be small to others but big to you. I just wanted to remind you that God is a restorative God. If Satan's throwing something at you that's really hurting you (e.g. recurring sin, fear that keeps coming back, etc.), and you feel just broken down and torn up from it, you need to know that God has the power to restore you. Read this passage from Jeremiah 33:
"Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’
“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,
“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
for the Lord is good;
his love endures forever.”
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord."
If you're struggling with something, but feel like you're "getting better" with it, it's not enough. God's will is not that you get partially healed from something and just deal with the rest. He has big promises. "I will bring health and healing to [insert your name here]; I will heal her/him and will let her/him enjoy abundant peace and security." That's you. That's God's promise to you. He restores. He promised.
For me personally, I'm praying that God completely restores me, because He promised to. I love that later in the chapter, he says, "I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky." He won't reject you if you ask him. Restoration, from whatever it is, is coming.
If you're a human being like me, you are probably struggling with something in your life right now. It could be big, it could be small. It could be small to others but big to you. I just wanted to remind you that God is a restorative God. If Satan's throwing something at you that's really hurting you (e.g. recurring sin, fear that keeps coming back, etc.), and you feel just broken down and torn up from it, you need to know that God has the power to restore you. Read this passage from Jeremiah 33:
"Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’
“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,
“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
for the Lord is good;
his love endures forever.”
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord."
If you're struggling with something, but feel like you're "getting better" with it, it's not enough. God's will is not that you get partially healed from something and just deal with the rest. He has big promises. "I will bring health and healing to [insert your name here]; I will heal her/him and will let her/him enjoy abundant peace and security." That's you. That's God's promise to you. He restores. He promised.
For me personally, I'm praying that God completely restores me, because He promised to. I love that later in the chapter, he says, "I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky." He won't reject you if you ask him. Restoration, from whatever it is, is coming.
12.31.2012
A New Year
I've never really done any sort of "new year's" post or journal entry before, but this year, I wanted to take a little time to thank God for all His gifts to me in the past year and to declare and pray for blessings in the new year! I would just make this a journal entry, but honestly, I knew this would be long and writing for that long makes my wrist hurt. So it gets to be a blog post instead. ;)
I know everyone says this every year, but 2012 really flew by, didn't it? I still remember things from last January that still seem very new and fresh in my mind! On the other hand, there were times in 2012 that I wanted to go by quicker. Overall, though, I've been finding myself really valuing time this year. In the first half of the year, I had lots of fun times and did lots of things, then looked back and realize I didn't savor those moments long enough. There were some times that I wasn't really in the moment, though I would look back later and realize how precious it was. I've been trying lately to fully live in the time that I have and appreciate time more. God, please help me to live in every moment and appreciate it. Thank you, Lord, for the time that You've given me.
I had lots of new experiences this year, and (not trying to be conceited) I've seen myself mature a lot. As I mature more, I see more areas that need maturing, as well, but in the past year, God has taught me to be courageous and to get out of my comfort zone. Though doing that is extremely uncomfortable sometimes, it leads us to places that are so much better than where we were. For me, trying new things and becoming more independent is scary, but I am so very thankful that my God is with me every step of the way. (Deut. 31:8) In fact, He's one step ahead of me. He walks in front of me, holding my hand, and leading me forward. God, please help me to be so much more aware of Your presence with me this year. Thank you, Lord, for being with me every step of the way.
To be honest, I think I've become rather pessimistic this year. On the surface, 2012 was an amazing year for me - I had major success in debate, and did extremely well in my fall semester. When I look at 2012, though, I'm tempted to only remember the inner struggles that I faced in the year, because those seemed much more prominent. This year, I dealt with a lot of insecurities and fears. I had lots of doubts, and I remember having a lot of "dry times". There is so much hope, though. I am encouraged that God is intentional, and that He uses everything for our advantage and His glory. There is nothing that is wasted and nothing that is meaningless. Lord, in 2013, please open my eyes to Your ways and Your purposes. Please teach me to be positive and live with the hope that You've given me. Thank you, Lord, that everything in my life works into Your plan.
Very lately, God has been reminding me of who I am in Him. I have a royal identity, and so do you. You and I literally cannot imagine exactly how loved, accepted, and forgiven we are. I can imagine a lot of love, and acceptance, and forgiveness. But God's is still bigger - like what I can imagine times a billion, and then some. God wants us to keep our identities in front of us at all times, because the knowledge of who we are makes us confident and strong. Satan wants us to forget who we are so we're weak. He wants us to think that we have no defenses against him, and no right to even resist him. That's the biggest lie I've ever heard. God has taught me and reminded me in 2012 that I am a child of God, daughter of the King, and princess in the Kingdom of Heaven - heck yes I have a right to resist the devil! Father, please remind me of my identity even more this year. Lord, thank you for the identity You've given me!
Lastly, in 2012, God has taught me to truly appreciate family. I can honestly say that God has given me a love for my family that's directly from Him this year. In the past twelve months, I've enjoyed being with my parents (and extended family) more than ever, and I have realized that they are the biggest blessings He has given me. He's used that to show me just a glimpse of what His family is like, and when I think about how much love is just in my little family, I get such a thrill thinking about what God's whole family will look like one day when we're all together. I don't have any biological brothers or sisters, but God has sure compensated for that by giving me friends who have become brothers and sisters. I think the ability to make friends is an amazing thing. The phenomenon of two strangers meeting, and clicking, and deciding to become "friends" just leaves me in awe. And then some of them become family. You don't have to be especially outgoing or attractive to make a friend. God's given us all the ability and it makes me really happy. I sincerely love my family and my friends. Is there really any difference between the two? If you're reading this and I know you personally, thank you for being my friend, or my family, or both. I'm praying that God will give me the strength to love even more fully and much more selflessly in 2013. Thank you, Lord, for the people You've given me to love.
There is so, so much more that I could say, but this is already a long post and I'm getting tired. 2012 was a blessed year, but I declare that 2013 will be even better. Lord, please draw me deeper in Your love in 2013! Make me more like You! I am excited for the new experiences, new friends, and new memories that I'll find in 2013. May ALL the glory be given to God this new year.
Happy new year! It'll be a happy one indeed!
I know everyone says this every year, but 2012 really flew by, didn't it? I still remember things from last January that still seem very new and fresh in my mind! On the other hand, there were times in 2012 that I wanted to go by quicker. Overall, though, I've been finding myself really valuing time this year. In the first half of the year, I had lots of fun times and did lots of things, then looked back and realize I didn't savor those moments long enough. There were some times that I wasn't really in the moment, though I would look back later and realize how precious it was. I've been trying lately to fully live in the time that I have and appreciate time more. God, please help me to live in every moment and appreciate it. Thank you, Lord, for the time that You've given me.
I had lots of new experiences this year, and (not trying to be conceited) I've seen myself mature a lot. As I mature more, I see more areas that need maturing, as well, but in the past year, God has taught me to be courageous and to get out of my comfort zone. Though doing that is extremely uncomfortable sometimes, it leads us to places that are so much better than where we were. For me, trying new things and becoming more independent is scary, but I am so very thankful that my God is with me every step of the way. (Deut. 31:8) In fact, He's one step ahead of me. He walks in front of me, holding my hand, and leading me forward. God, please help me to be so much more aware of Your presence with me this year. Thank you, Lord, for being with me every step of the way.
To be honest, I think I've become rather pessimistic this year. On the surface, 2012 was an amazing year for me - I had major success in debate, and did extremely well in my fall semester. When I look at 2012, though, I'm tempted to only remember the inner struggles that I faced in the year, because those seemed much more prominent. This year, I dealt with a lot of insecurities and fears. I had lots of doubts, and I remember having a lot of "dry times". There is so much hope, though. I am encouraged that God is intentional, and that He uses everything for our advantage and His glory. There is nothing that is wasted and nothing that is meaningless. Lord, in 2013, please open my eyes to Your ways and Your purposes. Please teach me to be positive and live with the hope that You've given me. Thank you, Lord, that everything in my life works into Your plan.
Very lately, God has been reminding me of who I am in Him. I have a royal identity, and so do you. You and I literally cannot imagine exactly how loved, accepted, and forgiven we are. I can imagine a lot of love, and acceptance, and forgiveness. But God's is still bigger - like what I can imagine times a billion, and then some. God wants us to keep our identities in front of us at all times, because the knowledge of who we are makes us confident and strong. Satan wants us to forget who we are so we're weak. He wants us to think that we have no defenses against him, and no right to even resist him. That's the biggest lie I've ever heard. God has taught me and reminded me in 2012 that I am a child of God, daughter of the King, and princess in the Kingdom of Heaven - heck yes I have a right to resist the devil! Father, please remind me of my identity even more this year. Lord, thank you for the identity You've given me!
Lastly, in 2012, God has taught me to truly appreciate family. I can honestly say that God has given me a love for my family that's directly from Him this year. In the past twelve months, I've enjoyed being with my parents (and extended family) more than ever, and I have realized that they are the biggest blessings He has given me. He's used that to show me just a glimpse of what His family is like, and when I think about how much love is just in my little family, I get such a thrill thinking about what God's whole family will look like one day when we're all together. I don't have any biological brothers or sisters, but God has sure compensated for that by giving me friends who have become brothers and sisters. I think the ability to make friends is an amazing thing. The phenomenon of two strangers meeting, and clicking, and deciding to become "friends" just leaves me in awe. And then some of them become family. You don't have to be especially outgoing or attractive to make a friend. God's given us all the ability and it makes me really happy. I sincerely love my family and my friends. Is there really any difference between the two? If you're reading this and I know you personally, thank you for being my friend, or my family, or both. I'm praying that God will give me the strength to love even more fully and much more selflessly in 2013. Thank you, Lord, for the people You've given me to love.
There is so, so much more that I could say, but this is already a long post and I'm getting tired. 2012 was a blessed year, but I declare that 2013 will be even better. Lord, please draw me deeper in Your love in 2013! Make me more like You! I am excited for the new experiences, new friends, and new memories that I'll find in 2013. May ALL the glory be given to God this new year.
Happy new year! It'll be a happy one indeed!
11.13.2012
Walking the Talk
A couple days ago, I stumbled upon this on the Internet:
Usually I would be angered or offended by this, but this time, I agreed with it, and thought what a sad truth it spoke of. Now, there are some sound arguments that could be made against the mindset of this comic, but I think what it's trying to communicate is, sadly, what the world sees in a lot of Christians.
As illustrated in the picture, very often, the first thing that comes to peoples' minds when they think of Christianity is judgment. Hypocrisy. Hate.
Uh, wait, you mean like Christians who are supposed to be ambassadors of Christ?
How did we get like this? Don't we affectionately call our Bible God's "love letter" to us? Isn't the God we serve not just the God of love, but love itself? Doesn't our favorite verse, John 3:16, talk about how God so LOVED the world? The very same world who we judge, and who sees us as judgmental and hateful?
How have Christians come so far from showing love and living out the love of Christ..to doing the very opposite? For being known for hate? And judgment?
Now, I know the world will always have arguments against Christians. When we're not being judgmental, we're using God as a crutch, or we're just ignorant and foolish for believing what we do. Etc. However, I think the judgmental-ness of Christians is not totally unwarranted. There IS a lot of bad stuff in the world, and a whole lot of sin, and quite frankly, it is disgusting. But isn't one of our mottos, "Hate the sin, not the sinner"?
Truthfully, most of the Christians I know are really nice people. And there are lots of other Christians I don't know who are also really nice people. But I think in general, as a church and the body of Christ, we need to do a bit less judging and a bit more loving. Actually, a LOT more loving.
I think 1 Corinthians 4:20-21 sums it up beautifully: "For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?" What if all the Christians chose this as their life verse, and really lived it, especially in their interactions with non-Christians? What would happen? There will always be cynics in the world who will always find some argument against us. But I think overall, there would be much less hypocrisy and much less judgment going on.
I don't want to be just the exception, but if that's how it has to begin, so be it. Lord, start with me. Let me be the Christian that loves, and doesn't judge. Spirit, work through me and in me to love and become more like Jesus!
As illustrated in the picture, very often, the first thing that comes to peoples' minds when they think of Christianity is judgment. Hypocrisy. Hate.
Uh, wait, you mean like Christians who are supposed to be ambassadors of Christ?
How did we get like this? Don't we affectionately call our Bible God's "love letter" to us? Isn't the God we serve not just the God of love, but love itself? Doesn't our favorite verse, John 3:16, talk about how God so LOVED the world? The very same world who we judge, and who sees us as judgmental and hateful?
How have Christians come so far from showing love and living out the love of Christ..to doing the very opposite? For being known for hate? And judgment?
Now, I know the world will always have arguments against Christians. When we're not being judgmental, we're using God as a crutch, or we're just ignorant and foolish for believing what we do. Etc. However, I think the judgmental-ness of Christians is not totally unwarranted. There IS a lot of bad stuff in the world, and a whole lot of sin, and quite frankly, it is disgusting. But isn't one of our mottos, "Hate the sin, not the sinner"?
Truthfully, most of the Christians I know are really nice people. And there are lots of other Christians I don't know who are also really nice people. But I think in general, as a church and the body of Christ, we need to do a bit less judging and a bit more loving. Actually, a LOT more loving.
I think 1 Corinthians 4:20-21 sums it up beautifully: "For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?" What if all the Christians chose this as their life verse, and really lived it, especially in their interactions with non-Christians? What would happen? There will always be cynics in the world who will always find some argument against us. But I think overall, there would be much less hypocrisy and much less judgment going on.
I don't want to be just the exception, but if that's how it has to begin, so be it. Lord, start with me. Let me be the Christian that loves, and doesn't judge. Spirit, work through me and in me to love and become more like Jesus!
10.30.2012
The Greatest Treasure Hunt
Treasure hunting has always fascinated us. The map, the figuring out how to get there, the actual treasure, and the focus on that one thing - the earnest search for the treasure.
I have personally realized that knowing God and feeling His presence is the greatest treasure in the world. There is a hunt that has to come before we find this treasure, though. If you're anything like me, you know that being a Christian and knowing God is not a continual mountaintop experience - sometimes it's difficult to connect and see beyond your normal everyday routine. There are dry seasons, and there are seasons when you feel far away.
But we want the treasure all the time! Why is it so hard sometimes?
Honestly, I don't have a definitive answer for that. I do know that God leads us through dry seasons and teaching us as much through them as He does through the mountaintop experiences.
Thankfully, though, our God is very loving, and very merciful. When you're in a dry season, if you want to get out, search for Him - and you will find Him. Lamentations 3:25 says, "The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him."
I once heard someone say that when we feel lost, if we just make a motion to turn to God, He runs to us and fills the gap. He's that good. He says in Jeremiah 29:13, "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you." God isn't going to play hide and seek with us. He isn't a god who's only available from 9 to 5. He is always standing there with arms open, waiting for you to come.
Dry seasons are hard. Whether it's because of sin, or doubt, or busyness, it's never fun. But God promises that if you search for Him, you will find Him. The treasure does exist, and it's right in front of you.
(Israel & New Breed, I Will Search http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHC1w2WKfgU)
I have personally realized that knowing God and feeling His presence is the greatest treasure in the world. There is a hunt that has to come before we find this treasure, though. If you're anything like me, you know that being a Christian and knowing God is not a continual mountaintop experience - sometimes it's difficult to connect and see beyond your normal everyday routine. There are dry seasons, and there are seasons when you feel far away.
But we want the treasure all the time! Why is it so hard sometimes?
Honestly, I don't have a definitive answer for that. I do know that God leads us through dry seasons and teaching us as much through them as He does through the mountaintop experiences.
Thankfully, though, our God is very loving, and very merciful. When you're in a dry season, if you want to get out, search for Him - and you will find Him. Lamentations 3:25 says, "The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him."
I once heard someone say that when we feel lost, if we just make a motion to turn to God, He runs to us and fills the gap. He's that good. He says in Jeremiah 29:13, "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you." God isn't going to play hide and seek with us. He isn't a god who's only available from 9 to 5. He is always standing there with arms open, waiting for you to come.
Dry seasons are hard. Whether it's because of sin, or doubt, or busyness, it's never fun. But God promises that if you search for Him, you will find Him. The treasure does exist, and it's right in front of you.
(Israel & New Breed, I Will Search http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHC1w2WKfgU)
9.12.2012
YOLO [You Only Love Once]
I realize that the title of this post is sort of ambiguous, so let me get right into it and explain what I mean.
YOLO. Definitely on the top ten trends of 2012. It usually stands for You Only Live Once, which has been disputed and talked about by Christians others who think that it's just an excuse to do stupid things. That isn't the point of this post though..I've actually used the YOLO "reasoning" in my decision-making in the past few months and found it useful. (Should I have that brownie?..YOLO! ...On the other hand, maybe I should stop..) Though yes, people can use the term to make unwise decisions, I think the concept behind it is actually sound, and (bing!) Biblical.
To me (and maybe I'm digging too much into this, but bear with me), the philosophy behind YOLO - doing things you normally wouldn't do because you only have one chance to do them - speaks of boldness, courage, and taking advantage of the time you have. I think that's absolutely where Christians should live. Too, too often, people (Christians and non-Christians alike) fail to see the big picture of their lives, and get hung up on the small things. We have to realize that our lives are very short, often shorter than we know, and we do need to take advantage of every minute we have.
This can mean different things to different people. Sometimes getting "hung up on the small things" means getting irritated with them and forgetting to be thankful. It could mean not seeing the good in people maybe as much as you should. For others, it could mean generally living in a place of timidity. That's the one for me. Looking back on my life, I'm just now realizing how timid I've always been, and how afraid (usually unconsciously) I am of stepping out. If you know me personally, you may be surprised, but I'm really not very good when it comes to being bold and taking chances.
And I say, enough. I'm tired of being timid and being afraid. As a Christian, I may not only live once, but I do live with the people I do in the circumstances I'm in once. And the truth is, I may only be able to love the people I'm around once. Does that make sense?
Now, I'm not planning on living with reckless courage from now on - being bold and courageous is not an excuse to be unwise. I think, though, that sometimes our "wisdom" gets in the way of us loving others, and in being who we truly are. To give an example, I just started a Spanish class at the college, and in the first few minutes of the class, the teacher wanted all the students to introduce ourselves and say what we're interested in, what our hobbies are, etc. We could say anything. I could have used that opportunity to say that I love Jesus - that I love worship, that I love reading my Bible; I had the floor all to myself for those few seconds. But my fear got the better of me, and instead I said something about how I like photography or something. Now, to be clear, I'm not saying that every chance we get, we should throw Jesus into the discussion or tell people how much we love to read our Bibles. I'm not saying we have to shove Christianity down everyone's throats. But in little instances like that...what did I have to be afraid of? The people in my class weren't going to pull pitchforks out of their book bags and chase me out of the classroom. My teacher wouldn't have expelled me. It would have been fine, and maybe it would have sparked a conversation about God later on.
I fully believe that God is in control, and He will work through me however He wants to. However, I also believe that in order for us to be fully used by God, we can't be standing in the back of the room, cowering. In order for us to be used by God, we have to be at the front, waiting, confident, and ready for battle.
Those who believe in God and serve Him have the Holy Spirit in them - the Spirit of the Living God. The God of all courage, of all strength. He is not the God of timidity. I personally am praying for God to give me courage - for the little things and the big things. Holy Spirit, let me be a vessel for you to flow through with your strength and boldness.
I'm only going to live here once, and I may only have one chance to love the people around me. I don't have time to be timid or afraid. Lord willing, I'm going to take God's advice in Joshua when he says, "be bold and courageous."
How about you?
YOLO. Definitely on the top ten trends of 2012. It usually stands for You Only Live Once, which has been disputed and talked about by Christians others who think that it's just an excuse to do stupid things. That isn't the point of this post though..I've actually used the YOLO "reasoning" in my decision-making in the past few months and found it useful. (Should I have that brownie?..YOLO! ...On the other hand, maybe I should stop..) Though yes, people can use the term to make unwise decisions, I think the concept behind it is actually sound, and (bing!) Biblical.
To me (and maybe I'm digging too much into this, but bear with me), the philosophy behind YOLO - doing things you normally wouldn't do because you only have one chance to do them - speaks of boldness, courage, and taking advantage of the time you have. I think that's absolutely where Christians should live. Too, too often, people (Christians and non-Christians alike) fail to see the big picture of their lives, and get hung up on the small things. We have to realize that our lives are very short, often shorter than we know, and we do need to take advantage of every minute we have.
This can mean different things to different people. Sometimes getting "hung up on the small things" means getting irritated with them and forgetting to be thankful. It could mean not seeing the good in people maybe as much as you should. For others, it could mean generally living in a place of timidity. That's the one for me. Looking back on my life, I'm just now realizing how timid I've always been, and how afraid (usually unconsciously) I am of stepping out. If you know me personally, you may be surprised, but I'm really not very good when it comes to being bold and taking chances.
And I say, enough. I'm tired of being timid and being afraid. As a Christian, I may not only live once, but I do live with the people I do in the circumstances I'm in once. And the truth is, I may only be able to love the people I'm around once. Does that make sense?
Now, I'm not planning on living with reckless courage from now on - being bold and courageous is not an excuse to be unwise. I think, though, that sometimes our "wisdom" gets in the way of us loving others, and in being who we truly are. To give an example, I just started a Spanish class at the college, and in the first few minutes of the class, the teacher wanted all the students to introduce ourselves and say what we're interested in, what our hobbies are, etc. We could say anything. I could have used that opportunity to say that I love Jesus - that I love worship, that I love reading my Bible; I had the floor all to myself for those few seconds. But my fear got the better of me, and instead I said something about how I like photography or something. Now, to be clear, I'm not saying that every chance we get, we should throw Jesus into the discussion or tell people how much we love to read our Bibles. I'm not saying we have to shove Christianity down everyone's throats. But in little instances like that...what did I have to be afraid of? The people in my class weren't going to pull pitchforks out of their book bags and chase me out of the classroom. My teacher wouldn't have expelled me. It would have been fine, and maybe it would have sparked a conversation about God later on.
I fully believe that God is in control, and He will work through me however He wants to. However, I also believe that in order for us to be fully used by God, we can't be standing in the back of the room, cowering. In order for us to be used by God, we have to be at the front, waiting, confident, and ready for battle.
Those who believe in God and serve Him have the Holy Spirit in them - the Spirit of the Living God. The God of all courage, of all strength. He is not the God of timidity. I personally am praying for God to give me courage - for the little things and the big things. Holy Spirit, let me be a vessel for you to flow through with your strength and boldness.
I'm only going to live here once, and I may only have one chance to love the people around me. I don't have time to be timid or afraid. Lord willing, I'm going to take God's advice in Joshua when he says, "be bold and courageous."
How about you?
8.26.2012
Summer 2012.
Hey there. So, summer's officially over for me as of tomorrow. I know I mostly post about my deep (?) thoughts about God and whatnot, but as I was thinking about that and scrolling through on my Twitter, I saw someone I follow ask a question - What made you smile this summer? My summer has been pretty great, but I wanted to make a list of things that made me smile this summer, just for fun. I have a habit of only remembering the bad things and downplaying the good things sometimes, so this is more for my sake than yours. But feel free to read along anyway. But maybe some of the things made you smile as well. ;)
What made me smile this summer?
-getting to sleep in
-my hilarious parents
-my new obsession with White Collar
-sunshine
-my puppy
-Nationals and all that went with it
-precious kids at VBS
-finishing How To Kill A Mockingbird
-having good work-outs
-good music
-getting to have lunch with people I hadn't seen in a long time
-naps
-my birthday
-getting my iPhone
-crazy adventures with good friends
-making crafts from Pinterest
-friends' birthdays
-registering for college classes
-amazing worship services
-coffee
-La Madeliene
-square dancing
-spending time with my grandparents and extended family
-helping at debate camp
-making cheesecake and really messing it up with good friends
-graduation parties
-finally figuring out how to French braid my hair
-deep-cleaning my room
And there are many more. Thank you, Lord, for a blessed summer!
What made you smile this summer?
What made me smile this summer?
-getting to sleep in
-my hilarious parents
-my new obsession with White Collar
-sunshine
-my puppy
-Nationals and all that went with it
-precious kids at VBS
-finishing How To Kill A Mockingbird
-having good work-outs
-good music
-getting to have lunch with people I hadn't seen in a long time
-naps
-my birthday
-getting my iPhone
-crazy adventures with good friends
-making crafts from Pinterest
-friends' birthdays
-registering for college classes
-amazing worship services
-coffee
-La Madeliene
-square dancing
-spending time with my grandparents and extended family
-helping at debate camp
-making cheesecake and really messing it up with good friends
-graduation parties
-finally figuring out how to French braid my hair
-deep-cleaning my room
And there are many more. Thank you, Lord, for a blessed summer!
What made you smile this summer?
8.04.2012
Guilt, Performance, and Righteousness
I struggle with feelings of guilt on a regular basis.
Maybe you do too, or maybe it's just me. Usually I lean toward the latter - I'm the only one who struggles with guilt, and that makes me...a bad Christian. (dun dun dun!)
You know what? What in the world does a "bad Christian" even look like? What kind of idiocy were we into when we coined that phrase? The term "bad Christian" is an oxymoron..and here begins my post.
The first thing I want to say to myself, and you, but mostly myself, is that there is no such thing as a bad Christian or a good Christian. I guess usually what people mean when they say bad or good Christian is what that Christian does with their life or how committed they seem to God - the "bad" Christian might not seem to get into worship at church, or maybe he only prays to God on Sundays. The "good" Christian goes to Bible study every week, prays everyday, and posts Scriptures on his Facebook. Maybe you don't categorize people like this, but I've caught myself doing it, and I'm just now realizing the flawed mindset behind it.
Maybe I'm just rambling here, but I think that we categorize Christians as good or bad, or maybe even whether they're "on fire" or not (did that hit close to home?) based on their performance. Let me ask you something. Does God love you based on your performance?
Hint: the answer to that question is a big fat NO. The Bible tells us that God's love is unfailing and unconditional, and Paul makes it very clear that nothing can separate us from God's love. Not bad performance. Not sin. Nothing.
So then why do we feel guilty?
Let me speak loud and clear by saying that we were made right with God through Christ - once and for all. If we start to think that we can be made right with God by doing good things, or that He'll love us more if we do more good, we are in tremendous danger of settling into a "works" mentality, instead of the faith mentality..and that's going back to the ol' "following-the-Law" mentality.
Just to be clear, I think there is something to be said for following the Spirit, and not the flesh, and spreading the Gospel, etc. But us doing those things or not doing those things does not affect God's love for us, and it does not affect whether we're saved by Christ or not.
I'm no New Testament scholar, but it seems to me that the Bible talks a whole lot more about the power of Christ's sacrifice, and the righteousness that comes from His sacrifice, than what we as Christians have to do to get God to love us. We have got to stop letting the enemy and our flesh work together and tell us that we are guilty and condemned, because our flesh is dead wrong when it tells us that, and the enemy has no right to speak that lie into us. I love how Paul puts it in Romans 8.. "If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one - for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who will then condemn us? No one."
No one. No. One. If God Himself decided that, through the blood of Christ, we are good enough for Him (sins and all), then who are we to tell ourselves, and who is the devil to tell us, that we are not good enough for God? That we're too sinful? That we ought to be feel guilty?
I know I'm rambling, so I'll wrap it up. Here's the bottom line: God's love is not performance-based. He expects you to sin. One thing I love about God is that He sees things how they are. He knows I'm going to sin. I'm sinful. He knows that and He loves me in spite of that. I don't have to feel one ounce of guilt, because God chose me, warts and all, and He said, "I love her. Through my Son's sacrifice, she is good enough."
He loves you. Through His Son's sacrifice, you are good enough.
Maybe you do too, or maybe it's just me. Usually I lean toward the latter - I'm the only one who struggles with guilt, and that makes me...a bad Christian. (dun dun dun!)
You know what? What in the world does a "bad Christian" even look like? What kind of idiocy were we into when we coined that phrase? The term "bad Christian" is an oxymoron..and here begins my post.
The first thing I want to say to myself, and you, but mostly myself, is that there is no such thing as a bad Christian or a good Christian. I guess usually what people mean when they say bad or good Christian is what that Christian does with their life or how committed they seem to God - the "bad" Christian might not seem to get into worship at church, or maybe he only prays to God on Sundays. The "good" Christian goes to Bible study every week, prays everyday, and posts Scriptures on his Facebook. Maybe you don't categorize people like this, but I've caught myself doing it, and I'm just now realizing the flawed mindset behind it.
Maybe I'm just rambling here, but I think that we categorize Christians as good or bad, or maybe even whether they're "on fire" or not (did that hit close to home?) based on their performance. Let me ask you something. Does God love you based on your performance?
Hint: the answer to that question is a big fat NO. The Bible tells us that God's love is unfailing and unconditional, and Paul makes it very clear that nothing can separate us from God's love. Not bad performance. Not sin. Nothing.
So then why do we feel guilty?
Let me speak loud and clear by saying that we were made right with God through Christ - once and for all. If we start to think that we can be made right with God by doing good things, or that He'll love us more if we do more good, we are in tremendous danger of settling into a "works" mentality, instead of the faith mentality..and that's going back to the ol' "following-the-Law" mentality.
Just to be clear, I think there is something to be said for following the Spirit, and not the flesh, and spreading the Gospel, etc. But us doing those things or not doing those things does not affect God's love for us, and it does not affect whether we're saved by Christ or not.
I'm no New Testament scholar, but it seems to me that the Bible talks a whole lot more about the power of Christ's sacrifice, and the righteousness that comes from His sacrifice, than what we as Christians have to do to get God to love us. We have got to stop letting the enemy and our flesh work together and tell us that we are guilty and condemned, because our flesh is dead wrong when it tells us that, and the enemy has no right to speak that lie into us. I love how Paul puts it in Romans 8.. "If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one - for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who will then condemn us? No one."
No one. No. One. If God Himself decided that, through the blood of Christ, we are good enough for Him (sins and all), then who are we to tell ourselves, and who is the devil to tell us, that we are not good enough for God? That we're too sinful? That we ought to be feel guilty?
I know I'm rambling, so I'll wrap it up. Here's the bottom line: God's love is not performance-based. He expects you to sin. One thing I love about God is that He sees things how they are. He knows I'm going to sin. I'm sinful. He knows that and He loves me in spite of that. I don't have to feel one ounce of guilt, because God chose me, warts and all, and He said, "I love her. Through my Son's sacrifice, she is good enough."
He loves you. Through His Son's sacrifice, you are good enough.
7.15.2012
Encouragement shpeel.
It seems like a lot of people, just in the last week, have been going through a lot of, quite frankly, crap. Everyone's having issues, everyone's feeling down..it's like the dark rainclouds that have been hanging around all week have become personal rainclouds over everyone's heads.
Myself included. God is opening my eyes and showing me that He is good in every season, but when you're down, it's sometimes hard to see that. He's teaching and teaching me, and slowly pulling me out, and I just wanted to share some scriptures with you if you are (or were, or whatever) going through the same thing. It can be anything: for me, a lot of little depressing things happened and it amounted to one big cloud of depression, insecurity, and confusion - but in your life, it could be relationship drama, loss, plain dullness-of-life, whatevs. Fortunately, God's word isn't exclusive to one people group or one issue.
First of all, I want to encourage you that God places everything in our lives for a reason: for our good and His glory. He says in Isaiah that He "will not cause pain without something new being born". Good will always, always come out of this.
Secondly, this is all temporary. Like, super temporary. Honestly, I think that when we get to heaven, our lives on earth will just seem like a dream - like something that happened a long time ago that's so small in comparison to the present. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." The mindset of the agnostic world today is that if you cannot see something, it doesn't exist - but God says that the unseen things are the point. If something is unseen but it still exists, it takes more faith and more devotion to it to believe in it. The world says that believing in an unseen God is silly, but the Lord says that we will be rewarded if we keep that faith.
Thirdly, (this one really applied to me and what I've been dealing with personally), God promises to restore. He is a restorative God who wants to give us vibrant, abundant life. He will not let us be in pain forever and for no reason. He says in Jeremiah 30:13, "I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing." It's a full exchange. If, for example, at a store, I exchange a black shirt for a white shirt, I don't have the black shirt anymore, at all. The white shirt is mine now. God promises to fully exchange our sorrows for joy, and fully restore.
He's amazing, and He is unchanging. Praise Him for that. We are so fickle and all over the place, but He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is greater than our feelings (1 John 3:20). Wow. Even when I feel insecure, depressed, uncertain...God doesn't, and He isn't any of those. I love it. He is, forever, a God of peace, and joy, and mercy. So hang on.
Peace is coming.
Joy is coming.
Mercy is coming.
Myself included. God is opening my eyes and showing me that He is good in every season, but when you're down, it's sometimes hard to see that. He's teaching and teaching me, and slowly pulling me out, and I just wanted to share some scriptures with you if you are (or were, or whatever) going through the same thing. It can be anything: for me, a lot of little depressing things happened and it amounted to one big cloud of depression, insecurity, and confusion - but in your life, it could be relationship drama, loss, plain dullness-of-life, whatevs. Fortunately, God's word isn't exclusive to one people group or one issue.
First of all, I want to encourage you that God places everything in our lives for a reason: for our good and His glory. He says in Isaiah that He "will not cause pain without something new being born". Good will always, always come out of this.
Secondly, this is all temporary. Like, super temporary. Honestly, I think that when we get to heaven, our lives on earth will just seem like a dream - like something that happened a long time ago that's so small in comparison to the present. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." The mindset of the agnostic world today is that if you cannot see something, it doesn't exist - but God says that the unseen things are the point. If something is unseen but it still exists, it takes more faith and more devotion to it to believe in it. The world says that believing in an unseen God is silly, but the Lord says that we will be rewarded if we keep that faith.
Thirdly, (this one really applied to me and what I've been dealing with personally), God promises to restore. He is a restorative God who wants to give us vibrant, abundant life. He will not let us be in pain forever and for no reason. He says in Jeremiah 30:13, "I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing." It's a full exchange. If, for example, at a store, I exchange a black shirt for a white shirt, I don't have the black shirt anymore, at all. The white shirt is mine now. God promises to fully exchange our sorrows for joy, and fully restore.
He's amazing, and He is unchanging. Praise Him for that. We are so fickle and all over the place, but He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is greater than our feelings (1 John 3:20). Wow. Even when I feel insecure, depressed, uncertain...God doesn't, and He isn't any of those. I love it. He is, forever, a God of peace, and joy, and mercy. So hang on.
Peace is coming.
Joy is coming.
Mercy is coming.
6.26.2012
Crushing the Head of the Serpent
So, in the past couple weeks, and literally just in the past couple of days, God has been teaching me about, opening my eyes, and giving me first-hand experience (don't you love how he does that?) in spiritual authority over the enemy. Honestly, it's not always fun, but it's so valuable. Let me tell you about it.
It started two weeks ago when I was working at the vacation Bible school that my church puts on every year. It lasts for a week, and Thursday is traditionally "salvation day" - the day when we share the Gospel story with the kids and give them the salvation invitation, etc. Personally, I was praying for the Spirit to come and fill our mouths, and open the hearts of the kids, and He definitely did. It was awesome. I didn't feel like I had a whole lot, practically, to do with giving the salvation message and praying with the kids, but I was okay with that. So the day went on and it was great, and that night I went home exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I went to bed early, figuring I'd just fall asleep and feel renewed the next day. Not so. I didn't fall asleep - instead, I was confronted with the deepest, most awful fear I've ever experienced; not fear of anything in particular, not in relation to the happenings of the day, not for any particular reason, just random, awful, fear. Not panic. Suffocating, deep-seated fear. Honestly, I have never felt so alone and so attacked on all sides. After trying to deal with it myself for a while, I went to my parents and as usual, received some of their wisdom - this was an attack of the enemy. It all made sense. That day, my friends and I had done some major spiritual warfare, and the enemy was angry. My amazing parents prayed for me, and God rescued me from the attacks. The next morning talking to my friends, I found out that I wasn't the only one who had suffered an attack - others had been attacked with random health issues, discord among them, and loneliness like me. So that morning we prayed for protection from further attacks, and rebuked the enemy.
That was eye-opening. I've heard that the biggest lie that Satan can tell is that he does not exist. How true that is. I think at times it can get so bad that he attacks us and we immediately blame God. How twisted is that? My friends, we have to constantly be aware that we have an enemy, and he isn't just sitting on his couch eating potato chips. He's active, and he's vengeful.
So what are we supposed to do? Be afraid? Shy away from doing anything that would make him angry and attack us? No! The enemy's attacks are just another opportunity to trust God and take hold of our royal identities.
But before I go into that, let me tell you the rest of the story. After VBS, I pretty much forgot about the attack of fear, and went on to the next thing in my life. The next week I went to Minnesota and had a great time. I was supposed to fly out on Sunday night, and on Sunday morning, my amazing friend and sister-in-Christ sent me a text with a Bible reference - Joshua 1:3. This friend knows how to listen to the Lord, and so usually the things she tells me in reference to God/Scripture/whatever are pretty spot-on. So I looked up the verse, and it says, "I promise you what I promised Moses: 'Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you." Honestly, it didn't make much sense to me. It really didn't apply to anything that I could see in my life at the time, so I sort of forgot about it. Well. Fast forward to that afternoon, as I'm waiting in the airport to get on the plane...when all of a sudden a random fear starts to creep up on me. Honestly, I had no reason to be afraid, but for some reason, I was terrified and I didn't know why. Well hey there, Satan. Suddenly the verse that my friend had sent me that morning came to mind - wherever I set foot, I will be on the land the Lord has given me. I have authority where I stand because God has given it to me through His blood - wherever I am, I have authority over Satan. Without me even intending it, God used that verse, and even that attack, to show me my authority He's given me over the enemy.
Ironically, I have an application on my phone that's called Identity in Christ, and it posts random Bible verses everyday, and guess which verse it had for that day - Luke 10:19. "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." Heck yes. Thank you, Lord, for planning it all out and basically plastering it in neon in front of my eyes that you have given me authority over the enemy.
Attacks from the enemy are never fun. And honestly, fighting him isn't too fun either - but authority over Satan is something that God has given us. A gift, but also a tool. God has given us all the weapons we need to have victory over the enemy, and they all come from His blood. It's time that we as sons and daughters of God, as princes and princesses in His kingdom, take authority and take hold of our identity!
It started two weeks ago when I was working at the vacation Bible school that my church puts on every year. It lasts for a week, and Thursday is traditionally "salvation day" - the day when we share the Gospel story with the kids and give them the salvation invitation, etc. Personally, I was praying for the Spirit to come and fill our mouths, and open the hearts of the kids, and He definitely did. It was awesome. I didn't feel like I had a whole lot, practically, to do with giving the salvation message and praying with the kids, but I was okay with that. So the day went on and it was great, and that night I went home exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I went to bed early, figuring I'd just fall asleep and feel renewed the next day. Not so. I didn't fall asleep - instead, I was confronted with the deepest, most awful fear I've ever experienced; not fear of anything in particular, not in relation to the happenings of the day, not for any particular reason, just random, awful, fear. Not panic. Suffocating, deep-seated fear. Honestly, I have never felt so alone and so attacked on all sides. After trying to deal with it myself for a while, I went to my parents and as usual, received some of their wisdom - this was an attack of the enemy. It all made sense. That day, my friends and I had done some major spiritual warfare, and the enemy was angry. My amazing parents prayed for me, and God rescued me from the attacks. The next morning talking to my friends, I found out that I wasn't the only one who had suffered an attack - others had been attacked with random health issues, discord among them, and loneliness like me. So that morning we prayed for protection from further attacks, and rebuked the enemy.
That was eye-opening. I've heard that the biggest lie that Satan can tell is that he does not exist. How true that is. I think at times it can get so bad that he attacks us and we immediately blame God. How twisted is that? My friends, we have to constantly be aware that we have an enemy, and he isn't just sitting on his couch eating potato chips. He's active, and he's vengeful.
So what are we supposed to do? Be afraid? Shy away from doing anything that would make him angry and attack us? No! The enemy's attacks are just another opportunity to trust God and take hold of our royal identities.
But before I go into that, let me tell you the rest of the story. After VBS, I pretty much forgot about the attack of fear, and went on to the next thing in my life. The next week I went to Minnesota and had a great time. I was supposed to fly out on Sunday night, and on Sunday morning, my amazing friend and sister-in-Christ sent me a text with a Bible reference - Joshua 1:3. This friend knows how to listen to the Lord, and so usually the things she tells me in reference to God/Scripture/whatever are pretty spot-on. So I looked up the verse, and it says, "I promise you what I promised Moses: 'Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you." Honestly, it didn't make much sense to me. It really didn't apply to anything that I could see in my life at the time, so I sort of forgot about it. Well. Fast forward to that afternoon, as I'm waiting in the airport to get on the plane...when all of a sudden a random fear starts to creep up on me. Honestly, I had no reason to be afraid, but for some reason, I was terrified and I didn't know why. Well hey there, Satan. Suddenly the verse that my friend had sent me that morning came to mind - wherever I set foot, I will be on the land the Lord has given me. I have authority where I stand because God has given it to me through His blood - wherever I am, I have authority over Satan. Without me even intending it, God used that verse, and even that attack, to show me my authority He's given me over the enemy.
Ironically, I have an application on my phone that's called Identity in Christ, and it posts random Bible verses everyday, and guess which verse it had for that day - Luke 10:19. "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." Heck yes. Thank you, Lord, for planning it all out and basically plastering it in neon in front of my eyes that you have given me authority over the enemy.
Attacks from the enemy are never fun. And honestly, fighting him isn't too fun either - but authority over Satan is something that God has given us. A gift, but also a tool. God has given us all the weapons we need to have victory over the enemy, and they all come from His blood. It's time that we as sons and daughters of God, as princes and princesses in His kingdom, take authority and take hold of our identity!
6.04.2012
I.D.: Holy
Flipping through my journal, I find that every few months, I write the same thing: I'm so sick of the grime of the culture, and I need to be cleansed. The culture might seem fun sometimes, but in the end, I want holiness. I need holiness. I think we all do. Once we've seen or heard about the holiness of God, suddenly the yuck and dirt of the world doesn't seem as satisfying. Honestly, I think that's exactly how God intended it to be - we all have a God-shaped hole in our heart, and a longing for God includes a longing for his holiness. But how does that transfer to us? I was struggling with that, wanting to be holy and clean like He is, but at the same time, looking at my sin and thinking, "How the heck could this mess be considered holy?"
Hehe..well, God knew about my struggle, and He had something up His sleeve. He brought me to Hebrews 10:19-22.."And so we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean and our bodies have been washed with pure water." I love this verse, and I love that the last sentence is in past tense. Our guilty, sinful consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood. In the past. And now we're clean. It's done.
Christ's blood is so powerful, that once it has washed over me, nothing else can touch me. Because of His blood, my identity is changed. I am no longer a sinner trying to be a saint, I am now a saint who sins. I know that sounds sort of anti-climactic, but look at it this way: before, we were stained black from the world's grime and dirt. Now, through the cleansing blood of Jesus, we wear white garments: the stains of the world may sometimes still splatter on us, but they will not stick. The Lord has given us holy robes, and they will not be permanently stained.
So how am I made holy despite my sin and the dirt of the world? Through Jesus' blood. I do still sin, and I do sometimes get dirtied by the world, but my identity has been changed. I am no longer part of the world, I am part of the Kingdom. These present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory and holiness of what is to come!
Hehe..well, God knew about my struggle, and He had something up His sleeve. He brought me to Hebrews 10:19-22.."And so we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean and our bodies have been washed with pure water." I love this verse, and I love that the last sentence is in past tense. Our guilty, sinful consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood. In the past. And now we're clean. It's done.
Christ's blood is so powerful, that once it has washed over me, nothing else can touch me. Because of His blood, my identity is changed. I am no longer a sinner trying to be a saint, I am now a saint who sins. I know that sounds sort of anti-climactic, but look at it this way: before, we were stained black from the world's grime and dirt. Now, through the cleansing blood of Jesus, we wear white garments: the stains of the world may sometimes still splatter on us, but they will not stick. The Lord has given us holy robes, and they will not be permanently stained.
So how am I made holy despite my sin and the dirt of the world? Through Jesus' blood. I do still sin, and I do sometimes get dirtied by the world, but my identity has been changed. I am no longer part of the world, I am part of the Kingdom. These present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory and holiness of what is to come!
4.26.2012
To the One who took my place...
First, let me just say, the post-writing area of Blogger looks way different from when I wrote my last post, so if something looks weird when you see this, I apologize. ;)
Anyway, God is really awesome. He teaches me so many things I would never ever have thought of on my own. The fact that God would care enough about me to speak to me and teach me like a child of His own is overwhelming. Most of the stuff I post on here is that sort of thing.
A few weeks ago in church, a line in a worship song we sang really caught me. I had sung the song many times before, but God wanted to teach me something again. Here's what I wrote in my journal:
"To the One who took my place..
When He died on the cross, Jesus switched places with me. He took off His holy robe, placed it on me, and took my place on the cross. Jesus was already torn up and beaten up by the world, and splattered by the world's grime and dirt - He did that so I didn't have to. He wants me to take the place He gave me, as a child of God, in his holy, white, pure robes. I have no part in the things the world does - He took the dirt of the world so that I may live to be clean. The robes that He gave me are as white as snow!
Lord, please let your Spirit work in me and help me live in the place you gave me."
Those are His words, not mine. Thank you Lord, for the things you teach me. Let your Spirit work in me and help me live in the place you gave me and the words you speak to me!
Anyway, God is really awesome. He teaches me so many things I would never ever have thought of on my own. The fact that God would care enough about me to speak to me and teach me like a child of His own is overwhelming. Most of the stuff I post on here is that sort of thing.
A few weeks ago in church, a line in a worship song we sang really caught me. I had sung the song many times before, but God wanted to teach me something again. Here's what I wrote in my journal:
"To the One who took my place..
When He died on the cross, Jesus switched places with me. He took off His holy robe, placed it on me, and took my place on the cross. Jesus was already torn up and beaten up by the world, and splattered by the world's grime and dirt - He did that so I didn't have to. He wants me to take the place He gave me, as a child of God, in his holy, white, pure robes. I have no part in the things the world does - He took the dirt of the world so that I may live to be clean. The robes that He gave me are as white as snow!
Lord, please let your Spirit work in me and help me live in the place you gave me."
Those are His words, not mine. Thank you Lord, for the things you teach me. Let your Spirit work in me and help me live in the place you gave me and the words you speak to me!
3.25.2012
"... But You have freed me from my chains."
People have always been really excited about freedom. People have always wanted to be free; I guess it's just something innate to human nature.
The freedom side of being a Christian is exciting to me - knowing that I am free in Christ always gives me a huge sense of joy? Carefree-ness? Um..freedom? Yeah. I like being free. And I think God likes reminding me of my freedom.
A good, simple analogy of our freedom is that we were bound in the chains of sin, but God broke those chains off. However...sometimes, whether intentionally or not, I think we pick up those chains, and put them back on. God has made us totally free from His judgment, from sin, and from death, but I guess we tend to forget that, and see those chains laying on the ground..and sometimes can't resist picking them up and putting them back on. We forget that God no longer judges us, and that it's okay if we mess up. We forget how broad His freedom and love are. This isn't something new. Paul knew how that goes. In Galatians 5:1 he says, "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." Whatever restriction or burden we feel, it's self-inflicted. God has made us totally free from sin, and free from condemnation.
We deserve to be punished for our sins, but God took that punishment, and made us a part of his family. Sorry to bring us back to square one, but sometimes I think we just need to be reminded of the basics like that. I love Psalm 116:16 - "Oh Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, born into your household. [But] you have freed me from my chains."
Honestly, we deserve to be treated as slaves and servants, or even something lower than that. But because of His grace, God brought us way up, and made us His children. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, I'm not a slave in the household anymore. I'm a master, because my Father is the King.
So why do I keep subjecting myself to the chains of condemnation? Why do I keep reminding myself of my sin?
Admittedly, it's really easy to do that: to focus on the sin, and to tell yourself that you could do better. But you know what? It is finished. God already decided a long time ago that YOU would be His child, and nothing you do is going to change that.
Admittedly, it's really easy to do that: to focus on the sin, and to tell yourself that you could do better. But you know what? It is finished. God already decided a long time ago that YOU would be His child, and nothing you do is going to change that.
That's freedom.
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