God Cares

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV


I love this verse. God cares for me. God cares for you. We often hear about God's love for us in Sunday sermons, but care is a different verb. It means we are under God's protection, in His charge. So not only does He have a deep affection for us, but He is protective of us. So when the anxious days come, when the trials are way beyond our abilities, and we become fearful, we must remember this verse and go to God in prayer. Our God can do way beyond our expectations. When the devil is prowling the earth looking for the weak and defenseless, we can rest in the assurance that though we may be weak, we are NOT defenseless. 


Go to God in prayer and turn our concerns over to Him. Remember His promise to be with us ALWAYS. Not sometimes, not every other weekend, but He is with us always. Pray for the strength to handle your present situation and the wisdom to act appropriately. And then thank Him. Thank Him for listening, hearing and acting on your behalf. Thank Him for His care. Thank Him for His love, His mercy and His generosity. Thank Him for acting to answer our prayer before we even finish our thoughts.


Dearest Heavenly Father, be with our family tomorrow morning as my dad goes into surgery. Give the doctors skill and wisdom to heal his back. Give the nurses compassion as they deal with dad and with us. Give us strength and peace as we wait during the surgery. Give us love and compassion for each other. And give us yourself always, and in the days ahead during dad's full recovery to health and strength. In Jesus name. Amen

Be Brave

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love."
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NKJV

Our dear St Paul addressed this epistle to the problems within the Corithian church. Pointing them calmly, yet firmly, to the correct doctrine, Paul urged them to be imitators of Jesus. This reminded me that our daily challenges don't always come from the world, but sometimes they come from those we call brothers and sisters in Christ, our church community. Division is not new to church comunities, nor to those who are in positions of authority within those churches. Who do we follow? Who do we believe? Where are we spiritual fed the sweet fruit of God's truth? Why do Christians squabble among themselves when together--in unity--we could do so much good for the world?

Watch, be on guard, keep your eyes and ears open, do not become ambivalent or negligent. Hold fast to your convictions, test them against the teachings of the Bible and stand firm against any word or deed that comes against that faith. Be brave, fearless, courageous, valiant, in defending your faith and your family of believers against any that come against it. Be committed, resolute, determined and stand your ground in doing good, loving each other. And with love. Isn't that interesting? St Paul ends this admonition with do everything with love. Speak the truth in love. Act in love. Defend in love. Agape love is a demonstrative love. When dealing with family, friends, fellow Christians, lead with love. If your heart isn't guided by love, step back, pray, and then try again.

It takes a brave heart to follow Christ, to be obedient to God's word the Bible, and show love. Love makes us vulnerable and many of us avoid that state at all costs. Yet in loving we are the most like Jesus. So this week be brave in loving others and each other. Be brave in being faithful to your God. Blessings!

Fearlessness

"Do not lose your fearlessness now, then, since the reward is so great. You will need perseverance if you are to do God's will and gain what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36 NJB


I have looked at several different translations of this scripture since it was pointed out to me in the Bible Study I was doing by Kay Arthur.  In most others it says "confidence" instead of "fearlessness".  But since I have been seeking verses on fear, I thought it mighty sweet of God to share this one with me. So what does it mean? Still using the imagery of us being in a battle of good and evil, a spiritual battle, then this verse is telling us to hold fast, stand firm, be fearless in the face of whatever the world is throwing our way.  How are your circumstances defeating you or frightening you? We can be brave because our Lord God Almighty, our Warrior God, goes into the battle before us. He is always present, so we can draw courage from Him.


Do not lose your fearlessness "now'. I'm sure each generation thinks their decades are the worst. 2011 seems plenty full of frightening uncertainties to me. Our technology allows us access to the tragedies that occur worldwide in hours if not minutes.  We see the heartbreak of destruction from war and from weather, from Afghanistan to Japan to Alabama. It seems more imperative --this now. Today, we must be brave, hold our place in the line of warriors, and do God's will.  Protect our families, our friends, and the weak, the poor, the orphans, the widows, the unloved, the sick, and love them as He has loved us.  Unconditionally. Without restraint. Or as best we mere humans, created in the image of God, can do.


What is the reward? What has He promised? Heaven. A place with no sickness, no pain, no tears, no hatred, no wars, but plenty of joy, peace, love and laughter. I think that is worth being fearless for my God. So when the leaders of this world can't decide right from wrong, and the media appears to be simply there to scare us to death, I remind myself that God is in control. None of this is a surprise to him. And though we may pray for Him to end this spiritual battle now, He knows the time and His goal is to get as many of us to heaven as He can.  So let's do our part and hold the line against cruelty and hatred one more day.

Spirit of Power

^"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV


This used to be one of my favorite verses and it had slipped from my mind until I started a new Bible study about 4 weeks ago. When I read it again, I had an "Aha!" moment.  How did this get away from me? About 8/9 years ago, when I had a job I really disliked, this verse kept me going daily for about 9 months. I stayed at the job because the hours and the pay were great, and hindsight showed me how God used that time to draw me closer to Him. Most days it was only God and the radio that gave me any semblance of kindness/friendliness/common courtesy. I needed that connection, that scripture, to remind me that in Christ I was strong, loving and wise.


It's time for it again. What about you? I believe the Bible is the active living Word of God. I believe it is His truth to us His children.  So, God did NOT give me a Spirit of Fear.  This world and the evil in it has created the fear.  It is insidious. It has wormed it's way into my heart and I am tired of it.  I am created in God's image. He crafted me in my mother's womb. He knows every hair on my head. God gave me power, love and a sound mind. I want to step forth into each day with a passion for life and all it holds. I want to love God and the people I interact with each day using what God has supplied me with. You need to read that again.  Under my own power--I will fail. Under my own power, I will get tired, discouraged, frustrated and be less than loving.  Abiding in Him, connected, believing that He is my source AND acting as if He is my source will lead to me living the powerful, loving, and wise life that He created me for.  Join me!

Without Fear

“ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.
   For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river,
   And will not fear  when heat comes; But its leaf will be green,
   And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit."  
   Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV

Given our current temperatures, this scripture seemed appropriate. We know what it feels like when the heat saps our strength, and we sweat, our cheeks pink, our throats parched. We reach for the coolness of ice water and press the glass to our faces, necks and then we drink it down. The water refreshes and cools us. It perks up our wilted selves and we continue mowing the grass or trimming the hedges or watering the tomatoes.

This scripture tells us that when we trust in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, we are refreshed spiritually with his presence, his strength, and we need not fear what the heat does or how high the temperatures climb. Our daily challenges are no match for our source.  When we are rooted in the Lord like this or put another way: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 NKJV   Then we bloom and grow, producing the fruit of our trust, our hope in the Lord.

Mighty and Tender

"See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:10-11 NIV


These verses from Isaiah show a God who is both Mighty and also Tender. He comes to rescue us in His power, and then He tenderly holds us in His arms. So when I have days when I am weak from the daily battle, I know I can call upon the Lord God Almighty, the Warrior God, who will go ahead of me and fight my battles for me. Then, when the day is over I can climb up into His lap, next to His heart, and be comforted, cared for, protected and nurtured.


"I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
   Fear not, for I am with you;
   Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
   I will strengthen you,
   Yes, I will help you,
   I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." 
   Is 41:9b-10 NIV 


...and I say thank you for choosing me. Thank you Lord for offering me your strength and your right hand. Amen.

Whom Do I Trust?

"I wanna live with a fearless heart

Courage that's coming from trust in God

It's constantly guiding me though the road may seem dark

I wanna live wanna live with a fearless heart"

I thought it was time to remind myself and you about this verse from Point of Grace. I've researched men and women in the Bible who exhibited courage. I have read the verses that say "Be not afraid" and expressed my understanding of those verses.  The song verse above suggests that courage comes from Trust In God. And I thought, whom do I trust?

Trust implies an intimate relationship, a belief that the other person would answer the phone in the middle of the night, would even come get you if needed, someone who knows the best and worst about you and accepts you as you are. I am blessed to have a few of those people in my life. People I believe would give their all for me. Yet I have also trusted a few people who broke that trust. They broke my heart and my trust.

My trust in God was broken when despite my prayers for restoration in my marriage, my attempts at counseling and change, we divorced. I hate to even type it, but it was true. I was praying for the right thing and I believe God does not like divorce. Still, God honored my ex-spouse's right to choose for himself--free will. And though God has taken care of me, and I now love and am loved by a wonderful Christian man, those wounds heal slowly. Will God allow something like that to happen again?

A good friend pointed me to this verse:^" Do not put your trust in princes,  in human beings, who cannot save."

People are fallible. We are not perfect--not by a long shot.  As a people we try to love as God loves, and we long for that love in return, that surety, that guarantee, but there truly is only one source of unconditional love. God. I am not saying you should not trust people. I am saying that people have limits and even the best of us will fail.  So where do I find that unconditional acceptance and love and trust?  God. So then how do I heal a broken trust?  And is the broken trust the source of my fear? I do believe God is good. So let's look at the character of God.