“Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others…” —Matthew 5:15-16
I was given a convicting message Sunday about our (the church’s) duty as the light of the world. How we have no problem cursing darkness but take little responsibility for our own actions, or rather, inaction.
For example, when you walk into a basement and the light doesn’t work, do you get angry at the darkness? The darkness is merely the absence of light. It is doing what it always does, and the very term “darkness” is an artificial construct for sake of speech. No, you get angry at the light and try to fix the bulb.
The church and its light, therefore, hasn’t been shining brightly—that is why there is so much darkness in the world.
We must face it, our inaction led to this. We allowed our children to rebel, we spared the rod of discipline, and we failed to love them truly as we sought their friendship and acceptance instead.
Some churches did not spare the rod, but their correction was without the love of Christ. They chased their children away with whips and made them feel like they could never return or be forgiven, unlike the parable of the prodigal son.
We avoided truth. Watering it down with half truths. The world came asking for direction and answers and since we were silent they turned to the governing powers of this world for their “truth.”
Without the Bible (Spoken Word of God) as the lens in which we perceive truth—the world has twisted good and evil and has done so, not caring about those who come hungrily knocking. They care only about power and money, and in fact, make their living off of our lost children’s desperation.
The government is like an abusive foster parent. Manipulative and outwardly noble in that they praise and pour out gifts upon their children, spoiling them with things that bring temporary joy but ultimately rot the soul.
They let them loose to their own wants and desires. Ask any child who was allowed to roam free in a candy store and they will tell you that they love the one who opened that door and let them do it—even as they moan from the resulting stomach ache.
Under this foster system, you must reject everything that your birth parents taught you. Girls can’t be girls, boys can’t be boys, you can’t be wrong, though your parents must be. Your body is not sacred, your desires are. The feasts of your flesh should govern your life and you should find identity in those lusts. Anything that causes you discomfort or hurts your feelings (makes you face the fact that you have a stomach ache in your soul) is bad! And doesn’t deserve any rights.
Sex and love are interchangeable. The ensuing results—depression/mental issues which are then worn like a badge of honor that make you even more special. (As if you weren’t special at the moment of conception)
Seriously, these foster parents smile fondly upon those who have completely destroyed the image of God upon them. Why?
Because the true foster parent they all share is the devil. He doesn’t care if you’re momentarily happy, so long as your ignorant of the fact that you are destroying yourself fully, mutilating yourself both physically and spiritually, then he is quite pleased.
It is purely evil what is happening in the dark. And where is the light that dispels the darkness?? The light that puts the devil in his place because he is already defeated??
Our job is to constantly enforce Christ’s victory on the Earth. To remind our children that they too can reign and live empowered. That the devil only has power if we give it to him.
We must affirm their identities in Christ Jesus. That they are loved fully and known fully by their creator. They lack nothing and are beautifully made. They have so much value, too much to be left as they are, given over to their own wants and wills. They aren’t mindless cattle, emotion without thought—no, in God, they have a sound mind that is wise and sees through the devil’s futile schemes to destroy their self worth.
Wake up church! Stop seeking the world’s embrace when Christ set us apart. He said the world would hate us! As it should, since it is the kingdom of satan. We are ambassadors here—belonging to another place (the kingdom of God).
Uncover your light and let it shine. You are victors and all darkness must flee before your blinding light.
For the sake of our children. His children. Shine brightly.
I remember the huge celebrations growing up as that clock ticked and the crowd counted down the remaining seconds before “Happy New Year!”
As a child I’d smile, watching the ball drop on TV at Time’s Square, fireworks exploding all around. As an adult I’d cheer and turn to my husband for the customary kiss to start the new year off right. Now…
Now, as a mother and as someone who very much feels the weight of time passing like sand through my fingers, my face is more somber. It’s like I’m saluting the year that passed by so swiftly, the pain and triumphs and milestones that it held, never to experience again.
I see a world that is almost hesitant now, if not just as somber. The joy and laughter are almost hollow in some ways, the crowds are gone, the ball drop? A silent affair.
Are we setting ourselves up to expect more hardship? Forgetting the new day(s) and it’s opportunity for joy and restoration? It’s time we throw our fears and woes back at the devil’s face and say, “this is going to be a great year!”
Instead of new year resolutions, why not try new year declarations:
1. This year I’m going to see miracles
2. This year I’m choosing joy!
3. This year, my family will be reunited.
4. This year, Is the year of revival!
(Insert your own)
Resolutions our what we say to ourselves, declarations is what we say to our spirit and perhaps those words carry more power?
Our minds are influenced by our thoughts and what we feed it daily. Are we feeding on Hope and surrounding ourselves with positivity? Your mental health with reflect what you are focused on and what you have trained your mind to do. The power to transform your life begins with transforming the way you think.
I highly recommend reading “Battlefield of the Mind,” by Joyce Meyer, and coupling that with reading/watching books/videos by Dr. Caroline Leaf, a pure genius of the mind who is also a Christian.
As for your own 2022 declarations, get out a sheet of paper and write down as many as the Lord places on your heart to write and hang them in a place you can speak them aloud daily. It can be a part of your morning routine—setting your mind and heart on joy and positivity before each new day.
And one day at a time…you’ll see God move through your words and they won’t return to you void. Only just remember this…every spoken word from you (and God) will be tested and tried.
You may find yourself experiencing opposition and possibly “the opposite” of what you declare at first. This is the devil trying to undermine truth. Hold fast and don’t stop declaring! This is a spiritual battle but you know who is victorious…your words have power or he wouldn’t be attacking them.
You will win. Trust in God. Keep straight the path ❤️
My husband, Aaron, leading worship in the face of a Covid outbreak at a neighboring church.
These past couple years have hurt. Deeply. Everywhere I turn it’s the same story, like a broken record. Pain—loss—fear. It’s more rampant than ever, and Hope? More scarce than ever.
The church (as a whole) made a grave error. Many turned their backs during a time when the world needed them most. In a lot of ways we collectively said, “Jesus isn’t enough,” and the world heard the message. And a bleak hopelessness set in…
We all carry scars now that we were never meant to carry, particularly alone. The devil has done what he set out to do, and now that Christmas is drawing near—he’s ever more dedicated to his cause. Is not Christmas and the coming Easter worth our final stand?
The two months that bring us Hope and remind us of the giver of Hope are under attack in ways we do not realize. I have friends who have turned from church and God, those who have lost so much these past years…and what kind of Hope can I give them?
Have I lost my Hope as well?
I’ve tasted depression and the void of loneliness that only comes in the absence of God in my life. There, my friends, is where you discover what hell is like. You see, we have a tendency to pull away from what would heal us when we are hurting. As “progressed” as we like to think of ourselves we are far from it!
Without God, we cease to have purpose and therefore begin to die. We can’t fully live without Him—we can’t go against the grain of our destinies.
Last night I read the story of Jonah and how he tried to flee from God and his destiny. As you know, he wasn’t given the choice to back down. After a fierce storm and time in the belly of a fish God had prepared to both discipline and protect him, he finally accepted his call to warn the people of Nineveh.
What happened after that? The people of Nineveh repented at Jonah’s warning and the city was saved. But Jonah again needed a lesson from God to remind him how valued each and every soul is to Him.
It reminded me of our own destinies. The church may have turned its back like Jonah on God’s call to save—but I believe, that also—like Jonah, they will be reminded of that call and either will repent and see a revival or completely fall away from their faith (pruned away like a rotting branch from the vine).
Those who turn from God will not find rest or Hope, they won’t even find contentment and wholeness because they’ve denied who they are and why they were created.
But those who heed the call and cling fast to Jesus during this time of trials, will find everything they need and more to withstand the storm yes, but also to heal and mend those who are hurting and point them to salvation. A gift that cannot be taken from you (unless you give it away).
And so I urge you brothers and sisters to turn your eyes back to God. It is very easy to get caught up in the things of this world but we can’t afford to lose sight of what matters most and sink beneath the waves like Peter. There is a reality that is unseen, that is more “real” than this plane of existence. Those who perish do not truly die, those who suffer now do so temporarily and are allowed to do so so that the love of Jesus can be demonstrated on this Earth.
We’re ambassadors from another place, representing the most High God in our words and by our actions.
This Christmas Eve, remember Jesus. Born in a disgusting manger, hiding from King Herod and his men. God on Earth—come to die at our hands, so that we could be with Him forever.
And that…is a reason to sing!
Not Covid, nor death, nor persecution, nor suffering, nor what powers govern our world—NOTHING can take this from you!
He is my reason to sing. Always and forever.
Even when I don’t feel joyful in the moment, or when I’m mourning…More of God is always the answer—not less.
Life has been in the fast lane lately for me as the holidays roll in and my son grows more daring. In my sparse moments of pursuing Facebook, I came across this post from my friend, Jared.
For those of you who don’t know. He is the very one I wrote about in my previous post titled: A Thief in the Night. In a nutshell, Jared and his family (friends with our pastor for many years), felt called to move to Ohio and join our church.
They sold their home and came up, Jared, his wife, Rachel, and their, at the time, 2 year old son, Isaac. We were overjoyed to have them as part of our church family—but it was short-lived.
The devil, like a thief in the night, took Rachel from us suddenly. From there our church struggled through a time of grief and loss, while Jared and his son struggled all the more. He had to keep smiling for his son, pick up the pieces of their lives, and overcome the biggest hurdle of all…continue trusting in God.
His journey of healing and hope has inspired hundreds. And now, a-few years later—Jared and his family continue to inspire.
Here is his most recent post I really wanted to share with you:
Creative Thankfulness
My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!
James 1:2 The Passion Translation
Yesterday, I went for a drive, the first in a while that I didn’t have to feel rushed or have my mind on the next task (it’s good when we get these moments). I started to pray with a request, then I remembered to bring out my thanks first. There’s a lot to be thankful for in this season of life, things have gotten to a place of normalcy for Isaac and I-to the point where you think after describing a week’s glance to a friend, “gee, that’s a little boring.” I know not to fall prey to that as a father, nothing is ever truly “normal” as a parent haha.
One afternoon this last week, Isaac and Jess stopped by my work after school was out and Isaac proceeds to walk through the parking lot like a cowboy. “Why you walking like that bud?” “My pockets are full of cuh-kahns.” (Pecans…y’all can fight over the “proper” pronunciation amongst yourselves…I’m going with this one from now on lol). No joke, he had cuh-kahns alright, two pockets full. A tree on the edge of the playground at school has been dropping them steadily and Isaac had been loading up while at recess.
A day or so later after dinner, he whips open a small box to reveal his new treasure, “daddy can we open these?” Being in a new house (okay…it’s been 3 months, but it still feels new), the kitchen is so well organized (not my gift, but the wife’s), I can’t locate a nut cracker or remember if we even had one haha. To the toolbox!
I give Jess a c-clamp and I get out the pliers. We proceed to launch cuh-cahn shrapnel all over the room. We hear a hull rickashay off some metal, isaac ducks, he pops up still smiling (Jedi reflexes), it’s our kind of chaos. “I got one!” Jess mastered the c-clamp and got a perfectly cracked one. I had been pinching my fingers with pliers, but this wasn’t my first rodeo, as Isaac and I used to do this at my parents house; with Jess this was the first time . All that pain and torment of cracking things open was worth it for what was inside. When Isaac sees pecans again, you know his pockets will be loaded and our little cowboy will be leaking them as he gets in the car at school.
When I looked at the pecan in this scenario, the meat inside holds such a high value to us that we will invest our time, energy and resources into a single nut to gain what’s inside (or we will pay the $$ for them already shelled haha). My pinched finger, the first few pecans that obliterated by the c-clamp, that all gets forgotten, in a sense we are thankful for what we go through to gain what’s inside. If sometimes we could only see what lies inside the pecan of our situations, troubles, fears and heartaches.
It says in Hebrews 12:2, for the joy beset Him, he endured the cross. Jesus saw the cross as that un-cracked pecan, and said to Himself, “for joy I embrace this torture, because I want them (us).” It took all that He was, and then some, to do what He did. It wasn’t just those three days, but the preparation, looking into the eyes of the ones He healed, enduring his trade as a carpenter and praying to His father and perfecting His daily faith. He did that for you and I. The cross is symbol for what was done, not a PTSD reminder of what he had been through.
This takes me back to one of His earlierappearances in the book of Daniel. In kids class at church, the funny sounding names of three believers, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego endured a great phenomenon called the fiery furnace. If you’re rusty on the story, it’s a great read in Daniel 3. We have a crazy king wanting everyone to bow to a statue of himself, and these three guys will only worship God and end up being thrown in a fiery furnace as a result. Only they didn’t burn…they walked right out and the king’s heart is changed as a result and he declares God as “the god.”
One day I read this story and scratched down like three pages of notes. There’s a lot of details in there, I don’t chew gum anymore because I overchew, and I think my mind runs the same way lol. There’s a lot of credit to be mentioned to these guys (I mean they made the Bible), they were living in a Godless land, maintaining their relationship with God, but also being at peace and a good citizen. Their character was excellent enough, that the king hired them to work where they were, so obviously they were in a place of influence. Their belief in God was a asset for the king…until it became his liability. We don’t ever see these guy’s faith deviate. The scriptures do not say, but I believe that they prayed for the kingdom that they lived in. They prayed for their king, on his behalf and as political climates go, they don’t just change overnight. As things would ever increase, this furnace gets thrown into the mix, and the leadership I’m sure got pretty fond of using it or at least threatening with it. That had to wear on these guys minds daily. Yet they maintained.
One of my favorite quotes when they get brought before the king, “do not do this thing,” as if to warn the king out of a place of care. Who does that? Only someone who speaks from a place of confidence in theirGod that they could potentially be persecuted for. They were tied up and thrown in (brute forces were ordered in just for fun). Once inside-surprisingly they are seen walking inside this fire with a fourth guy (Jesus). They were called back out of the fire by the king, and they walked right out, not even smelling of smoke and they get promoted in their work and God is made “the god.” So much awesomeness.
There are so many great details here, keep in mind, this is pre-crucifixion, pre-day of Pentecost and the Bible is still on scrolls down at the temple someplace else. The spirit of Lord was still not upon believers (only in certain instances), Jesus was just a prophesy and the Bible wasn’t widely distributed. In spite of all of that, S. M. & O. (Yeah I’m not spelling them out haha) still expected God to show up in their situation and didn’t try to dodge duck or dive when they were tied up or talk their way out of it (other than issuing a warning). God had destroyed whole cities that were deemed evil, yet His goodness would save a whole city if He only found a few faithful. The furnace that was meant to consume, God used to disintegrate what bound them and display His power to a king. That king was given the ability to see the men in the fire, call out above the flames and be heard (big fires are loud) and for S. M. O. to exit. S. M. O. were in the presence of God in that furnace.
God wants to use the furnace that you’re in. He’s just as present at your lowest low as your highest high, He’s in the step that you are on. The difference between us and S. M. & O. is that we carry God’s indwelling spirit within us. When we accepted Christ as our savior, our spirit became alive unto God. We carry that with us, but I believe when we come into those furnace situations, God’s comfort and grace are available to us, He doesn’t abandon us.
You may feel bound by your situation, without a next move, but He’s gonna give you a pivot. In basketball (I’m not good at it…I went to camp in high school and got most improved even though I was worse afterwards lol), the player with the ball can pivot one foot without a dribble and change directions. God wants to pivot your situation, whether past or present. The same spirit that is upon us is the one upon Christ in Luke 4:18…we are given the ability to proclaim our liberty and the liberty of others. What the enemy (John 10:10) sent to do harm for my family, I’ve allowed and expected God to turn for our better.
It wasn’t always easy.
Many days we spent trying to crack that pecan. We pinched fingers. We broke things. But we didn’t give up. Now, I’m at a place in life where I’m blessed to be able to proclaim that there will be no smell of smoke upon me and my son’s life and that grief and trauma will not haunt our path. That gives me the ability to give thanks for what would normally harm me. I can give thanks for the sweet memories, for the 1997-2001 Honda CRV’s that I work on (my first wife’s was 1999).
I give thanks for her life. I give thanks for the opportunities that arose after her death. The hurting people I was able to share my grief with. The bond that was strengthened between my son and I. We can do that because we possess creative thankfulness. We can be thankful for our furnace, for the cross. That’s how death loses its sting.
I only just met you, but already knew so much about you from my church family. They told me story after story as we painted and cleaned up the home you would be moving into.
God called you all to do ministry with us in Marion, Oh. You sold your home in Virginia, left your job and packed up your little two year old for the long trip towards a new beginning.
The church rejoiced. I’d never seen our pastor and his family so excited (they watched you grow and saw you as their own daughter).
I honestly felt overshadowed by your brilliant light. That you would very quickly replace me in their hearts because of your history, your love, and your faith. But it was a selfish fear and I drove it away by pouring myself into servitude. Helping prepare the way for you to come and settle here.
I wanted to know you. To be your friend.
You were here only a short while. I met and played with your beautiful son. I laughed with your amazing husband. And I hugged you, in passing, as we hurried about one Sunday. I hope to get to know you more—there will be plenty of time for that. I thought as we smiled and went our own ways.
Things were looking up. God was with us and nothing could stop our momentum as a family of believers….until…
I climbed into my car after work, and heard my cell ring. I answered and it was my husband Aaron. With a heavy voice he told me that Rachel Sullivan was gone.
What? Who?
I couldn’t believe it. The world stopped, and I saw Isaac’s precious face and her husband Jared’s smile flash across my conscious.
“There was a car accident…” Aaron didn’t say much more because he had our pastor’s son with him.
I hung up the phone and for the first time in my life I screamed and punched the dash, cursing God. “F**! F**!” I yelled with everything inside of me.
I had to pull myself together, after all…I didn’t lose Rachel…my church family did. Those who knew her since she was a small child, those who laughed with her and spent hours in her company.
Our pastor’s kids wanted us, needed us…
They came over and we hugged for a long time, and we took them for a long walk. And I vowed I would try to fill the bottomless void Rachel left behind.
I never did come close.
The next few days were slow, and shock filled. Isaac didn’t know and didn’t understand.
My mom had him and the pastor’s daughters over to swim and we all smiled and played with him while I balled inside. “THIS IS NOT FAIR!”
God why did you allow this to happen? You called them here!! Are you not our protector? I thought you were good! That I could trust in you!
My resentment and distrust grew. My rage and brokenness remained even as everyone else picked up their lives and tried to move on in faith.
I comforted, I cried, I prayed…and Rachel still remained gone.
We drove all the way to Virginia to attend the funeral. It felt so wrong…Isaac was turning three…and his mommy was going to miss it, and all the birthdays after that.
I remember the happy pictures on the slideshows…I remember Jared. Alone and crying. Living the worst nightmare. And I remember sitting in silence with my church family as they played the song, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fall).”
Rachel always wanted to have a baby and Isaac was a dream come true. She loved being his mommy. She loved coffee and people (working at Starbucks-where she was headed before the car accident).
She was gentle and fun loving. She was faithful and a good friend. I know this because of all those her life touched. She had ministry dreams which her husband is now pursuing.
It was this that put a wedge between me and God. I pulled away from Him and began to doubt He was who He said He was.
I wish I could say that I have fully overcome or that I have the answer as to why this happened to those I love with all my heart. But I haven’t and I don’t.
Honestly, I have to learn to accept that I probably will never know the answer. I have to chose (just like with any tragedy, loss, hardship, and attack of the enemy) to still trust and to still believe regardless of what I see or feel.
The reality of God and His Word have to be more important than my own feelings and this world’s realities. Death is coming for all of us someday…young or old it will find us. This is a temporary plane—and so we must fix our eyes on eternal matters.
We’ll all see Rachel again. And what a glorious reunion that will be for everyone her life touched here.
The devil’s sole purpose is to make us forget who God is, who we are, and our authority to change our lives and those around us. I know that if we were to ask Rachel whom she loves and trusts—her answer would not have changed, even now.
If I don’t trust Him…who will I trust? Who has the power to save? Who is our only hope of salvation and restoration?
I’m beginning to realize how much I need God. Whether I live or die (to live is Christ to die is gain), I choose to believe in Him and trust Him to make all things new.
He is still my protector and shield. His plans for me are good. What happened to Rachel was not His will or His plan for her. But He has brought beauty from ashes…and her legacy lives on (still transforming lives and bringing hope).
Our church is as strong and united as ever! In our pressing onward God has poured out His goodness and blessings.
Life goes on.
I say all this because I know that we share this brokenness. Some hurt dealt us by the enemy. He is the one who robbed you like a thief in the night, he took from you what was not his to take.
Please hold on. Don’t give up on God or fall into the trap that says; “He isn’t good!” What do I know of goodness? What do I know of fairness? Fairness would have been for all of us to die for our sin instead of Jesus.
Doesn’t God deserve the chance to explain and answer your questions in Heaven someday? Hasn’t He done enough for you to deserve at least this?
Rachel may have died, but God blessed her with so much all the years before her death. Look at her son, her husband, the thousands who knew and loved her. I refuse to let her life be summed up into this one accident. Her memory deserves so much more.
I’ve made the decision to keep climbing. Keep pressing. Even if I’m bloodied and broken I am going to finish my race! And the devil can push, torment, and beat me all he wants, I’m not letting go of this ladder! I’m going to stand back up every time! Because I can’t go back to not knowing the truth. I can’t deny who I am and who God is! No one can rip this from me!
If I made a list of all the good things God had done for me, it would go on and on endlessly…and my list of all the bad things that seem to fill my mind so easily would be very very small.
Fight the good fight, run your race. Don’t be afraid of death but of a life/eternity without God. That is the final death the “real” death we can all easily avoid.
Love God and love people, and when it’s time to die—you won’t die. And your legacy of love will live on long after, paving the way to Christ’s return.
You, my brothers and sisters, have a bright future. Don’t ever forget it! Rachel was a window into the brightness of Heaven. Surround yourself with others who share that same Jesus light so you never forget what is waiting in Heaven and what you can release now.
As many of you have read from my previous posts. This year and last have been particularly difficult. With COVID, pregnancy/and birth of our first child, James. As well as our spiritual struggles as we sought to remain Faith-filled and close to each other and God in a world torn and warped by fear.
Now, we finally have climbed and clawed from the valley and, standing on the peak of God’s goodness, we see that the valley really wasn’t so deep and treacherous. It was our own mind, our disconnection from God that made a canyon out of it.
I keep discovering that my fears were pointless, over and over. From COVID, to health issues with myself and James, and financial hurtles. Everything I worked myself up over, giving away my joy and peace, never amounted to anything worth fearing.
God was with me and my family/friends.
COVID -my family and I caught it in October and the symptoms were very mild. God actually brought a blessing from it in that my husband (who was working 70 hrs a week) got to stay home with us for two weeks!
My health- since the birth of my son I had struggled with dizziness/lightheadedness as well as some other concerns which have all disappeared!
My son’s health-from breathing issues (strider), to acid reflux, illnesses, and chronic constipation have all disappeared. He just saw a GI specialist Friday and she gave him a clean bill of health saying that the constipation issues will right themselves out and Miralax will keep him regular til then.
Finances-The pregnancy and birth expenses, unexpected house expenses and struggles from COVID have all been covered one way or another. Aaron has been blessed with a great, stable, job and has so much favor there! He also was able to get a new position which allowed him to not only be home more but to pursue teaching music lessons (currently he is booked!).
God has also surrounded us with people who love us more than we can imagine. Their prayers and support has kept us from backsliding more than we realize.
Our marriage was also greatly tested during all this and God has brought us through, stronger and more in love. As love is ultimately a choice, an offering of sacrifice.
My son celebrated his first birthday on my birthday (he was born May 30th and I was born the 29th), and it was honestly a rough day but everyone came and it was so refreshing to see a mask-less room of smiles.
James has really grown into a beautiful, funny, strong willed, smart, and loving soul. He is very tall for his age, has 8+ teeth, and is always on the move. He loves sweet things, meat and potatoes, and chipotle with guacamole. Food lifts his spirit like nothing else 😂 but he also adores music.
Smash cake time!
He keeps me on my toes and I often go from stressed out of my mind to laughing and wanting nothing more than to hold him close. He’s the greatest blessing of God I could ever receive or “borrow” for this short time…
11 month picture
There is nothing more difficult or rewarding as being a parent. Life is just all the more sweeter, and imagining the days and years before I new James really gives me perspective of how much fuller my life is because he’s in it.
So, standing on this peak of God’s goodness I am in awe at the view.
Difficult times will find us all. And our minds will go through battles that leave us feeling alone and even cursed. In the middle of your pain you might lose sight of the mountain, the promises of God. But just remember that He is the God of the valleys and of the mountains. And He is working all things out for your good. Fighting your battles when you are unaware.
And so long as He is victorious, you will be too. Allow your valleys to mold you and grow your faith. And when you reach those peak moments, don’t forget to thank God and look at all He has done for you.
It’s time we stop asking, “what else could possibly go wrong?” And start saying instead, “the best is yet to come!”
“Yahweh, you’rethe bedrock beneath my feet, my faith–fortress, my wonderful deliverer, my God, my rock of rescue where none can reach me. You’re the shield around me, the mighty power that saves me, and my high place.”-Psalms 18:2
The constant battering of life can very easily leave one asking, “where is God?” Especially during times of endless storms, late nights, and stress filled days that seem to drag on and on. In those moments it takes extra strength to acknowledge truth and to count blessings.
Sometimes we get this grande idea that as Christians we can literally calm the storm, like Jesus did on the boat. Only, was not His original plan to ride it out? He was even sleeping! All the while everyone else was in a panic, believing they were going to drown.
The storm they faced that day was a literal one. But Jesus would go on to face many spiritual storms that He was destined to face and surrender to. The greatest of which, His arrest, beating, persecution, and crucifixion.
Yet even in His darkest moment God never abandoned Him. Even though Jesus felt cut off because of His pain, God never left His side and the power of God still rested upon Him. Jesus chose surrender, He chose to die, when in reality He could’ve easily called fire from heaven and ordered angels to rescue Him from the cross.
There will be times in which you will tell the storm to stop and it stops, and other times in which the storm rages on despite your longing for the sun. It’s in those moments we either choose to remain the same or allow God to mold us into something that can withstand any storm.
The devil wants you to become blinded by fear. Storms are powerful, loud, chaotic, and destructive. Spiritual storms are even more so. He wants you to lose control, to become distracted by his attacks that you lose sight of God and His presence amidst the storm.
When you lose sight of God, only then do you start to sink. Giving the devil authority to harm you and your family in ways he wouldn’t have had the authority to do before.
Soon all you will see is what the devil wants you to see, and you’ll start doing his dirty work by seeking out those things for yourself. You’ll turn your anger and resentment off of him and unto God, forgetting yourself and your true enemy.
I’m guilty of this. But thank God that today (in the midst of one of those never ending storms) He gave me a new perspective.
I’m laying in bed, my son, who turns 1 in just a couple days has been battling an illness after being sick off an on for a couple months and dealing with chronic constipation since 6 months.
I’ve waited for hours in waiting rooms, gone through doctor switches, have even played doctor myself more often than not, trying to help my son. But every time I’ve reached out to doctors I’ve hit dead end walls. I’ve often felt the same with prayers.
The stress these last few months from constant turmoil has really taken a toll on me and my marriage. And today, on the brink of having to cancel my sons birthday I’ve looked forward to like an anchor all this time I’ve come to realize that God still has been good to me.
He’s the real reason I want to have a celebration. Without Him I wouldn’t be where I am today, holding my albeit sick little boy, but my greatest blessing nonetheless. I’d go through hell and back for him, and let me tell you sometimes it feels like I have.
Celebration or not, I choose to thank God anyway and to be thankful. We are so blessed to have access to medicine, income, a home, and beautiful property. To be healthy overall and my son as well! We are blessed to have family and friends wanting to celebrate and bless us in return at James party. Those blessings remain regardless of the devils schemes.
And as I shook my head earlier today, thinking, “what could possibly happen next,” as my husband went to mow and found a flat tire I realized I was going about it all wrong. The devil might be making jabs at our property, peace, unity, and joy. But ultimately they were merely jabs and not devastating blows.
God is with us.
What I’d forgotten was that the same God who calms the storms is also the shelter amidst the storms. He gives you the tools you need to overcome every attack from the enemy.
Sure it would be easier and less painful if God never let the devil take a shot at us. But then we would have no reason to grow, no reason to rely on God, no chance to taste the victory He paid for in blood.
I really don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I do know God will be there. Providing and protecting in ways I don’t always see until after I’ve had the time to reflect.
What is God doing for you amidst your storms?
Does your list of blessings still far outweigh your list of woes?
No matter what day you’ve had, thank Him for it. For every good thing comes from Him, and He is your shelter in the storm.
“But the Word of the Lord remains forever.” -1 Peter 1:25
I was blessed enough to take this shot overlooking my parents neighborhood after a spring storm. I knew a rainbow was going to appear, everything was right; the sun was bright and the rain was falling beyond it, God’s promise was going to manifest and I didn’t want to miss it.
As I type this I realize that we often do “miss” it. We don’t walk in His promises and the farther we walk away from them the harder it is to find them again.
For months now I’ve been faced with a mountain. A, what should be, simple problem to fix has made me furious with God and confused beyond reason as to why I can’t seem to overcome it.
My problem is just one example. I know many people who’ve struggled their whole lives looking for the answer, whether that’s healing of the body, restoration of a relationship, or a dream come true.
I want more than anything to answer that deep seated question of “why?” And I know the response is always the same and never satisfying: “we live in a broken world and Jesus promised us we’d have trouble.”
But what did He mean by trouble? Didn’t He demonstrate with His own life what He meant? Trouble existed solely in the devil’s schemes, in the persecution of Christians and those who believe in Jesus.
He said the world wouldn’t accept us because it didn’t accept Him. That we may just have to face (and turn the other cheek) to verbal/physical abuse all in the name of Jesus. Many believers even suffer death at the hands of unbelievers weekly.
As far as I know and from what we’ve seen Jesus do. He never suffered illness, nor deformity. Never turned away someone asking for healing of such. And never dealt someone an ailment or injury in return.
No one can fully understand exactly what took place when Jesus died, what He did in death, and what it really signified when He arose from the grave. Likewise, no one can fully walk in all that He paid for.
You see He gave us back what was stolen from us in the garden. He bathed us and washed us white as snow, and He tore the veil, opened the symbolic gates of Eden and called us His new Holy temples!
Despite this, our minds are still caught up in the past. We spent so long as lost sheep, as slaves to sin, separated from God that we can’t readily/easily believe the Truth of the New Covenant.
We live our lives in the “in-between”, feeling broken and sinful and looking forward to eternity free of it. God wants you to live in the now and experience the freedom and gifts that Jesus has ALREADY given us.
Yes, Heaven and the new Earth will be amazing! But we are called to bring Heaven down today. To release the Holy Spirit to move through us in the Earth. What a privilege it is that we get to serve and demonstrate the love of God.
His love remains. Whether I am angry, confused, broken, and when I’m not seeing Breakthroughs. God is the same. I am the one who changes, the one who fails to get it right and see clearly the things of God.
For the first time in my life I began to experience what it felt like to pull away from God. And let me tell you that in pulling away I never felt so alone. Demons didn’t wait to torment me with thoughts and feelings that I used to never entertain.
I felt like Peter, taking his eyes off Jesus as he stepped out of the boat and stood upon the water. In no time at all he was sinking and afraid. Alone.
I’m still angry, I’m still hurting. And I still don’t have the answers I seek. But I know that pulling away from God isn’t the answer but the final blow. I won’t find my answer outside of Him, and so if I really want to have my answer I must do the opposite and run to Him.
Thank God He remains. He waits for us to return with open arms and forgiveness. I saw myself for what I am apart from Him and I really am nothing. If He isn’t the core of my being I don’t want this life, nor do I deserve it. I don’t even deserve the answer that I seek.
The rainbow in the sky signifies more than anything how lost we are. How God could very easily and rightfully have destroyed all of us. But instead He chose for us to continue. He wanted us to continue and to someday be reunited with Him.
Show Him that you aren’t done yet. That He can rely on you. That you love Him regardless of what you see and experience. Thank Him for all He has done and all the things He does that you don’t see. Thank Him for your life, your time here to fulfill your destiny and call. And know that you can never get “too” close to Him. There is always more, so much more.
There are alot of things I’m grateful for as we emerge on the other side of this world pandemic. This and pregnancy has forced me to face some fears and lack of trust I still have towards God. What I’ve learned is how grateful I am that He is not done with me yet and won’t be till that fateful day when Christ returns.
I’ve wasted time on my cell, I’ve fallen a few times into the pit of worry or anxiety, I’ve gotten angry and resentful, and I have pulled away from people and God on a few occasions. Some would excuse this behavior as the result of “pregnancy hormones”, but I know better. All those hormones and emotions did was pull my flaws to the surface, my weaknesses.
As motherhood draws near I am even more compelled to change and grow. I don’t even want to go into labor with this fear and honestly chose to believe that I don’t have to suffer through it either. I don’t know to what extent I will be successful, but regardless I will believe that pain and suffering of every kind were paid for in full on the cross.
If God’s will is “on earth as it is in heaven”, and there exists no pain/tears in heaven, than the answer is clear to me what we must seek and believe. These things won’t be possible until we start believing they are God’s will. Our hearts have to reflect His will.
Waiting is the hardest part.
I’ve waited a lot in my life and sometimes it feels like I’m in an endless desert. My mind is tempted to fear in those moments of waiting, and now that I’m 38 weeks pregnant and can go into labor at any time, I feel this temptation to fear again. I keep imagining what I could go through instead of trusting in God and just surrendering to Him and His will. He told me this would be a joyous occasion and oh how faithful He has been so far! Satan has tried to rob this joy from me and has failed many times throughout these 9 months.
I overcome my fear with expectant hope. I’m ready to hold baby James in my arms, to see his face and hear his cries. I’m ready to begin this new chapter and it is that expectant hope that brings me joy.
Everything is coming to a close.
This virus, this cold winter/spring, this pregnancy is coming to an end…and with it a new beginning for us all.
Turn off the news channels, block out the many voices that are trying to pull fear into the future through their declarations. Seek the Lord and His guidence/discernment and you won’t hear Him saying such things, but reminding you of joy and hope.
It’s no secret what the devil is attempting to do, the sad truth is that despite him using the same old schemes, we still fall prey to them. It’s a cycle of rebellion that goes back to the very beginning. We are creatures of forgetfulness and yet our God is always ready to catch us when we fall, and to fight our battles.
Feeling stressed? Not sure how to combat the present evils? Has GermX and soap been your go-to more so than prayer? What’s the fine balance between being smart and being driven by fear? What are we, the church, called to do at this time?
There are a lot of questions circling and a lot of directions the church is taking during this crisis. Bill Johnson, the pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California has a message that will answer all these questions and more.
I pray that God uses this message to awaken the church to this great opportunity to “Be” the answer to prayer for many. That a revival will be the outcome of what was originally an open attack from the enemy to sow death, pain, and ultimately fear.
As a pregnant mother, at this time I’ve faced a great deal of fear and not just my own. Many around me have sought to drag me along in this panic. The protection and divine presence of God that we easily trusted before has been put up for question among many of my brothers and sisters in Christ. We have reacted like the world instead of fulfilling our great call to be set apart from it.
There are many verses being taken at random and used during this time. Some are comforting, some feel rather empty, and others are taken so out of context that they simply do not apply to this present situation. Bill Johnson, however, preaches on Psalm 91, and I highly advise all of you to read and reread this verse whenever you feel fear take the throne seat of your heart.
To watch this sermon, start at 1:08:03 unless you wish to watch their amazing worship team and get the full Bethel experience.
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