Tag: Christian

Not Forsaken

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backlit cemetery christianity clouds

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

When you turn on the news to hear the number of COVID19 cases continue to rise, the death count steadily increasing, unclaimed bodies being buried in massive ditches, unemployment numbers rapidly increasing, and lines for food banks spanning miles, it can be easy to believe that God has forsaken us.

The psalmist David was acquainted with suffering as he asked God in Psalm 22 why he had forsaken him —when would the trouble end. Jesus cried out in His suffering on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?“.  In the midst of our pain it can often feel as if God is no where to be found. As we find ourselves in these turbulent and difficult times, it may seem as if our prayers are going unanswered, our pleas for help seem to be ignored, and our tears seem to be wasted. We have encountered times of restlessness and even hopelessness. The pain sometimes unbearable.

The soldiers who mocked Jesus as they watched Him suffering in agony in those final moments on the cross help give understanding to why we tend to lose hope. “Let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him.”(Matthew 27:42 AMP)  Simply put – sometimes we need to see a sign in order to believe. A sign to restore our hope. A sign to help us rest.

In the midst of all of this uncertainty where there may not be many visible signs of hope, find encouragement in Jesus’ parting words to His disciples:

“Take careful notice: an hour is coming, and has arrived, when you will all be scattered, each to his own home, leaving Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

-John 16:32-33 AMP

We are never alone! The Father is with us. Because Jesus lives we can have this hope. Continue to cry out to Him. Allow Him to turn your pain to praise, your worry to worship, your anxiousness to awe. He is here with us. He never left.

Be encouraged. You are not forsaken.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

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“…He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we would desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem.” – Isaiah 53:2-3

Without knowing the story behind the image above, would it attract you to the promise of a life of freedom? Would it draw you to the promise of a glorious life? Do you see the love in this picture? Do you see the beauty? Only when you know the story behind the picture, can you see the true beauty.

For some, the thought of tests, trials, the many crosses you will have to take up and bear, having to walk away from certain relationships, rejection, laying aside our own wants and tripping of fleshly desires, do not always seem that beautiful. None of what we are called to surrender or have to endure on earth will ever compare to the beautiful suffering of our Savior.

Despite the ugliness of our sins, God sees the beauty in His children. He loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus, to die a death far from beautiful that we would have access to a beautiful life. A relationship with Him.

When I look as this picture, I see a beautiful Man – scarred with all of the ugliness of my life. He may not have stunning good looks or appear majestic. He did not demand respect or even demand my life…He offered a simple invitation.

Paying a cost I could never afford to exchange the ugliness of my sins for the beauty of a new life.

Hosanna!

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In the first time ever – probably since the church was established – the churches are empty. Worshippers have not been able to gather corporately to celebrate Palm Sunday.

For most of us, it’s not our first time not being in church, on what our Pastor refers to as lamb selection Sunday. Either we were in the world (me) or took for granted the gathering of the church and more importantly what it is we were celebrating- the entry of the King of Salvation preparing to fulfill His assignment (me).

Interestingly enough after Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a young donkey, He cleared the temple and reminded the people that His Father’s house should be a house of prayer. Though the churches have been cleared out for another reason, we need to return to and focus on the main thing…Hosanna in the highest!

Hopefully you have been able to worship and commune virtually or even with your family. If not or even if you have, I wanted to share some scriptures to read and meditate on this week as we celebrate Jesus’ journey to the cross.

  • Matthew 21:1-10
  • Mark 11:1-11
  • Luke 19:28-44
  • John 12:12-19
  • Isaiah 62:11
  • Zechariah 9:9
  • Psalm 118:25-29
  • Revelation 19:11-16

“When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” – Jesus

There IS Light in the Tunnel

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gray scale photography of lighthouse

Like most of the world, each day I wonder when this situation is going to end. When will I turn on the news to hear a cure has been found, that there have not been any deaths or more illnesses from this virus, that there is a vaccine to keep us safe, or we can return to life as we once knew it.

The other day as I returned from the coffee house (which is now my kitchen) to my makeshift work space slightly frustrated with the new norm, my screensaver displayed a beautiful lighthouse at the end of a long stony road. The black and white photo highlighted by the brightest white drawing attention to the light from the beacon of  the lighthouse, reminded me of the saying “There’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the Light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.”  – John 8:12

Believers in Jesus Christ do not have to wait for the light at the end of the tunnel. The Light has already come that we can have abundant life here and in eternity – full of goodness and hope, even in the midst of chaos, tragedy and devastation. Jesus came into the world – into our hearts, not only to save us but that we would be a reflection of His light for others to see the hope of glory that is in us as a testimony of His salvation.

There is Light in the tunnel.  His name is Jesus. The world needs His Light more than ever.

In our darkest moments, we need to fix our eyes on the Light to be reminded and encouraged by His faithfulness,  using this time to seek Him through prayer and His Word, and to serve Him by being the light among all men.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16

If you have never placed faith in Jesus Christ, you do not have to wait until we get through this..until we get out of this tunnel. Jesus came to rescue us ALL from darkness.

You can receive this Light today.

If Jesus has prompted your heart to do so, pray this prayer:

Jesus, I am a sinner lost in darkness. Come into my heart, illuminate it with Your Light, and cleanse me of my sins. Today I accept You as my Lord and Savior. I believe that You came to earth as a servant, as God in the flesh. You died, was buried, and rose from the dead, that I might have the Light of life. I place my faith in You alone. My heart belongs to You. Thank You Jesus for loving me and saving me. 

In Jesus Name,  Amen

 

A Prayer For Us

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Now is the time we should be seeking the Lord like never before. Sometimes that can be hard. We don’t know what to say, what we should be praying for, or maybe you never prayed before. When you’re at a loss for words, open the Book of Psalms and speak God’s Word back to Him. Over time and through the Holy Spirit, you can use one of the Psalms as a foundation for your prayer, adding your own praises and prayer requests.

Use this prayer based on Psalm 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 for your prayer today and let the Lord lead you.

Peace & Blessings.

Father God,

The world is Yours and all it that is in it. Lord, You know my heart and the hearts of all your people. Where there is fear and anxiety, give peace and calm that only comes from You…that comes from knowing You as Lord, knowing Your Son as Savior. Right now we need to be seeking You like never before.

You Lord, are the King of Glory, You are strong and mighty – You are mighty in the midst of our battles, You are Lord of all. You are welcome in my heart, my mind, my spirit and soul.

Father, I lift up my soul to You. Lord, I trust You. Do not let me be ashamed of this hope and my faith in You. A gift that You freely give. Help me to see things from a heavenly perspective. Teach me Your word. Lead me in Your paths, lead me in Your truth. I belong to You…I will wait on You. Thank You for remembering me, my family and my loved ones during this time. Your compassion and lovingkindness are forever – You reign Lord!

You, Lord, are good and right. All your paths are lovingkindness and truth – let us hold fast to You. Help me keep my eyes constantly on You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me. Thank You for forgiving my sins – past and present.

O Lord, I love Your dwelling place. Thank You for this time that I get to spend with You – getting to know You better through Your Word – Your Iove letter to us. You tell us that when we seek You with our whole heart and mind, we will find You. Give me a fresh desire and thirst for Your Word.

Father, You are my light and salvation, who shall I fear? You are my protector, who or what should I dread? Though troubles come, my heart will not fear. In spite of it all, I will remain confident in the hope that I have in You.

Lord, the one thing that I ask and seek is to dwell in Your house all the days of my life, to behold Your beauty and to meditate in Your temple. In these trying times, You have covered and protected me and those I love. I will praise You each and every day – even when we get through this because You Lord will never forsake me. Help me to wait on You. To be strong and courageous as I wait. To seek ways to serve You by helping my brothers and sisters.

You alone, Lord, are my strength and my shield. I will trust You as long as I live. I praise You Lord for all that You do for me. You are my strength during these troubling times. Save us Lord, according to Your will. Be our shepherd. Lead us. We have been so preoccupied looking to our earthly leaders – let us look to You. You will lead and carry us forever.

Lord, You are great! Your goodness has been stored up for those who fear You-who take refuge in You. You have hidden us in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man – You keep us hidden and safe. Thank You Lord for meeting us here in this time You knew about. Thank you for taking care of us – shielding us from this virus. Thank You for healing those that have been diagnosed. Thank You for comforting those who have lost loved ones. Their loss does not mean that You do not love them or that You did not want to heal them but as Your Word says whether we as believers are awake or sleep we will live forever together with You. We praise You Lord that we have this confidence of abundant life through Christ Jesus. It is in His great, holy, mighty, keeping and matchless name that I pray. Amen.

Yes…Jesus is King!

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A few months ago I was scrolling through my YouTube feed and kept coming across these “Sunday Service” videos. I was reluctant to watch them because like most people I had wrote Kanye West off after one of his downward spirals (…isn’t that sometimes what we tend to do when people get messy and need help… wash our hands of them and go hold post in our judgment seat? Lord, please forgive me.). I was interested though so I decided to consult with my expert on all things culture – my teenage son who is away at college. I asked him what Kanye was up to now. His response, “Oh yeah, Sunday Service. Yeah, Mom. I have been watching them. Kanye is doing good.” Immediately I knew I had to check this Sunday Service thing out – not because of my son’s recommendation but I was concerned about what he might be getting caught up in…what he considered good.

A few minutes into my first Sunday Service Experience (in my car of course), I found myself in the middle of this beautiful praise and worship experience ready to cancel my plans for the day just to worship my King. Not only was I moved by the music – a blend of contemporary gospel hits and 90’s R&B hits transformed with gospel lyrics – but Kanye’s testimony. A broken man who humbled himself to confess he was in need of a Savior openly saying only Jesus could set him free. To hear this man who has been infamous for pointing all men to him instead pointing them to Christ literally moved me to tears. To hear him give glory to God for delivering him, acknowledging his mind had been healed, had me rejoicing with him. Confessing he had been caught up worshipping idols and was now free, had me release a hallelujah. To me, this was a genuine confession of faith in Jesus Christ and it excited me. A man using his talent and treasure to glorify God using his platform to tell the world that Jesus is King was pretty awesome.

Since my first Sunday Service experience, I have been intrigued, inspired and excited about Kanye’s conversion. At the same time disappointed at the “friendly fire” from the Christians and even Kanye’s most die hard fans. Why is it impossible to believe that God can transform and use a man like Kanye? We are after all talking about the same God who changed Saul to Paul and used him mightily to teach and spread the gospel.

Perhaps if the service was called Kanye’s Gospel Explosion or Kanye’s Gospel & R&B people would be less offended and more open to what he is doing. Kanye and his Sunday Service Experience are becoming the Super Praise & Worship team of the millennial church. He is reaching groups of people (including prisoners….woo wee….just let that sit there for a moment) most believers are too holy or too afraid to get near. He is lifting up the name of Jesus higher than most churches and saints that have been walking with Him for a lifetime. For probably the first time ever in my life, I feel bad for Kanye. While he has this amazing platform to spread the name of Jesus Christ, it’s a very public platform that will scrutinize every step of his journey with Christ, forgetting that we too have our own walk to tend to, holding him to a higher standard than we hold ourselves.

Do you remember who you were before you welcomed Christ into your heart? Do you remember when Jesus came into your life and you wanted to tell the whole world what Jesus did for you? Remember when the fire burned so hot you wanted to serve the Lord 24/7 or as they say now 25/8? Remember when you wanted everyone to know about your King? How about when the fire cooled…when you realized this wasn’t just an experience it was a walk? A walk that you would sometimes trip and fall, a walk you sometimes veered from, a walk that would never be perfect but because the King took up His cross and walked a walk we could never walk – we were made perfect. Jesus didn’t die for just you and me…He died that all might come to know Him as Lord and Savior, even Kanye West.

What if we changed our perspective? What if we commit to praying for Brother Kanye? Why don’t we pray that we might fan our own flame and reignite the fire we had when we came to Christ, that we would work out our own salvation with fear and trembling? What if we spent the same amount of time we take to scroll social media pages and entertainment news to see how Kanye fell today, to sharpen ourselves in the Word so that we we can walk along side our younger brothers and sisters that they might grow beyond an experience to mature believers of Jesus Christ?

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. ]” – Matthew‬ ‭18:10-11‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬

I must admit Kanye has encouraged me to check my own walk and fan my own flame to get to the business at hand – spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While I may not agree with some of the things Kanye has said in the past, his politics and political affiliations, or who the greatest artist in the world is, there is one thing we both agree on…JESUS IS KING!

Just Say NO!

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Do you struggle with saying NO? Let me free you today….it’s okay to say no in order to say yes to right thing – without guilt or explanation to others.

I am in a season where I am learning how to say what I always believed to be a bad word…No. Maybe not using that exact word, but respectfully declining the great new opportunity that happens to coincide with the things God has tasked me with, that easy thing that would be a welcome escape from the daunting project or diversion from the present problem, gracefully bowing out of social opportunities to spend more time in His presence so that I can know what God’s perfect plan and will is, so I know exactly what I should say yes to.

Now, for a recovering people pleaser, saying no hurts sometimes. The look of disappointment sprawled across the faces of your girlfriends as you decline the invitation to brunch this weekend because you need to just sit at the feet of Jesus for a little while. Feeling like you let those down who need you because you can no longer support their vision but need to get busy on the work God has called you to. There have been times God has clearly told me to pass on certain things and I have had to fight the beast within to say Yes.

Use your no’s wisely and in obedience to God. Just say don’t say No to Him.

“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’ [a firm yes or no]; anything more than that comes from the evil one.” -MATTHEW 5:37 AMP

Letting Go….

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Today I dropped my son off (my only child) to begin his college journey. One of the most difficult goodbyes to date – very bittersweet. Excited for all of the awesome things to come for him, yet sad to see him go off into the world on his own.

As I miserably failed at holding back the tears, I remembered this was a necessary part of the journey. Trying to hold on to my baby would hinder him from moving forward in his destiny…into greatness become the great man God wants him to be. As I said my final goodbyes, as I let my son go, I remembered that he was in very capable Hands.

I think of another mother who had to let go. Moses’ mother. The mother of a fine child, a future prince, a great leader, a deliverer. Her story condensed to less than a 100 words but her faith extending beyond that which can be measured. This mother had no idea what her son’s future held but she knew for sure was that he was destined for greatness. If he was going to become the man he was to become, she had to let him go.

“And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.” – Exodus‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Letting go is hard. Letting go requires having faith. Letting go allows God to draw the best of out of children – even when it hurts us to let go.

As mothers (even fathers), this is difficult for us to do. Watching from a far as your child navigates the twists and turns of life, desperately wanting to reach in to push them in the right direction, wanting to steer them and protect them from the current events and waves of this thing called life. But there comes a time when we have to let go.

No matter where your child is in their journey, they are in the great I Am’s hands. It is okay to let go. God has them.

Heavenly Father, Help us to let go and leave our children in Your loving care. They belonged to You first and always. Your love for them far surpasses that of any parent. You care for them greatly and have great plans for them. We may not be privy to those plans right now and they may not even be what we had in mind for them,  but we know that they are in Your hands. They may take some unexpected turns on their journey but You are in control and know exactly what they need. You know what is best. You know exactly what it takes to draw them from whatever waters they are in and whatever mountains they may face. You are there with them. Position us to watch and trust You with their destinies.

In Jesus Name, Amen

You Were Running Well..What Happened?

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“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NIV

We start with such excitement and passion over a new beginning, a new idea, a new acquisition, new relationships….so on fire and committed. Then something happens. We hit a roadblock that causes us to lose momentum, discipline, or even hope.

You were doing so well. Life was good. You were living the best & blessed life…#GOALS…that is until life happened. An unexpected hurdle gets in the way and sends us in our feelings limping back to the sidelines.

So what happened? Who or what cut in on you?

Was it illness? Death of a loved one? Family issues? Busyness? Insecurity? Rejection? Opinions of others? Lack of faith?

One day during my quiet time, the question leaped right off the pages of Galatians…”Who cut in on you?”. Though Paul was speaking to a group who had started strong by faith that were being misled by false teachers, it was as if Brother Paul was speaking directly to me in that moment. Who/what did you allow to quench your fire? What made you lose focus? Who told you that you couldn’t do that thing God told you to do? Who told you weren’t enough?

I thought long and hard about that question. I had allowed quite a few hurdles to trip me up….grief mixed with a whole lot of busyness, add in getting my only child through his senior year of high school (and all of the emotions that come with it), a dash of rejection and oh…trying to help everyone else run their race. Fatigue and frustration cut in causing me to check out of my own race. I had momentarily lost sight of the end goal and what team I was running for.

Well it’s time to get back on track, refocus, and run the race like a champion. I might have got cut off but I am not counted out (Thanks be to God) and neither are you. So friend, if you haven’t been running well, there’s still time on the clock.

Run well.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

– Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV

Closets…

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A few years ago I moved into a home with much more closet space than I was used to…a woman’s dream, right? Problem is…my closets have become an area of neglect. In addition to being a storage place for clothes 2 sizes too small that (that I am working really hard to get back in to – NOT.), they have become a space to hide all of the junk that I want to keep out of site to make my home look presentable and feel welcoming. When I come across an area of clutter, I have picked up this terrible habit of moving the clutter to a closet instead of sorting through it and putting everything in it’s proper place (The type A part of me cannot believe that I am sharing this…).

The same could be said about my spiritual closet. There are some things tucked in there that I am holding on to just in case God’s plan might not work out the way I’d like. Things I don’t want to deal with…the hard stuff. Treasure buried underneath unforgiveness, painful memories, grief, and disappointment. Things I don’t necessarily want people to see in my life, because if they do it might indicate that I am a bit of a mess. But who am I fooling…I am a mess! A mess with a King for a Father. A Father that knows everything I try feverishly to hide. A Father that has already cleaned me. A Father that wants me to go deal with that closet – both the spiritual and physical ones.

As you prep for spring cleaning, don’t forget your spiritual closet. There might be some stuff in there you forgot about. Get rid of junk that needs to be tossed out, sort through all that stuff, you might even find some treasure buried under all the clutter waiting to be shared with others.

Father, You know everything about us even the things we try so desperately to hide from others. Strengthen us by Your Spirit to address those issues in our spiritual closets that hinder us from being all that we can be in Christ Jesus. Whether its fear, unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, envy, disappointment, insecurity – whatever it is You have given us power to overcome. We thank you Lord because you love us despite everything that we have kept in the closet. Let us honor Your love by tidying up our closets making them presentable to You.

In Jesus Name, Amen.