by Shauna Millar | Jun 11, 2021 | forgiveness
May was a month of silence. Not intentionally, but some how the world was able to crash down upon me and redirect my time and attention. At the beginning of this year, I set up a schedule for a topic each month. Right before May hit, I was in the process of changing the topic and I didn’t come up with anything. I know this because on my list May shows with a –.
I knew it was going to be busy. Before I write, I pray for inspiration, guidance. After all, what can I say that will make a difference? I am nothing but a vessel to be used. If you haven’t read my posts about being a Light Set Upon a Hill – well, that is how I view myself. I have always felt that my calling was in my actions and attitude. An area, where honestly, I often fall short. I fall away from the way I think I should be acting or what I “should” be doing. Yet, God in His wisdom, created me to be imperfectly me.
Years back I had a disagreement about how we respond when God calls us. I remember walking on a beach with my step-sister, her boyfriend and his best friend. We were talking about where we felt God called us. Directions. Where we were being led. The topic of when God calls you to action came up. Well, I responded that I don’t jump in when I hear God telling me something. I dip my toe in the water first. I want to make SURE I am doing God’s will. I want to make sure I am hearing it correctly. The interesting part of this is, when I said these words, they all turned on me like I was crazy. What do you MEAN you don’t just jump in. They all professed that they would jump and do it right then.
Here is the thing, God created us individually, specifically and He KNEW us before we were conceived in our mother’s womb. He KNOWS me better than I know myself. I am HIS creation; perfectly and wonderfully wrought. So, since He knows me.. He knows how I am going to respond, how I am going to react, what I am going to do. When I fail, He picks me up.
Now, I don’t always question God. There have been times when He has pressed on my heart so strongly I knew I needed to react in that moment. The last time this happened was when He told me I needed to pray for a friend of my Mom’s. We were getting ready to leave and I felt a small tug to pray for her. Needless to say, I ignored it at that moment, but when we got in the car to drive away God pressed on me SO strongly I knew I HAD to react. I knew I had to turn the car away, walk back into her business and we took her aside and prayed for her. This isn’t the first time God had pressed on me to pray for someone and I am certain it won’t be the last.
I know you are wondering, what does ALL this have to do with forgiveness?
The answer is simple. God is quick to forgive us when we ask. Man, not so much. Still, we need to ask for forgiveness. It doesn’t mean it will be forgotten, but it gives us an opportunity to move on and grow – learning from and accepting our part in making mistakes or causing hurt. It is a humbling experience when you truly go before someone to sincerely ask for their forgiveness.
So how do you do it? Much like this; I need to ask forgiveness for going a month without posting. I have felt it on my heart this year that I should be writing these blog posts. I felt it very strongly at the beginning of the year that I should commit to doing one a week. I failed during the month May and even now, I am late in June. So, not only do I ask God to forgive me but those who may be reading this please forgive my inactivity.
We don’t know who we touch. We don’t know how we will touch someone’s life. We aren’t all called to the same place. Some of us plant, some of us water, some of us harvest. Some of us till the soil. No matter where you are or what God has called you to do, do it with grace. Do it with peace. Do it with the knowledge that you can shine where you are planted – even if that place may seem distant and desolate. God puts us in place for a reason. If you have been called but feel like you are falling short, know that it is never too early or too late to ask God to forgive you, to give you direction and to move forward.
Rejoice in the knowledge that He created you. He understands you. He watches over you. He keeps you. You are wonderfully wrought. No matter how you ‘see’ yourself. How you notice your flaws or if you feel regret, grief, distress – remember that God can turn your mourning into joy. That you are LOVED. No matter how you see yourself or feel like you may have failed – all you have to do to receive forgiveness from God is to ask.
People may fail but God never does.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
by Shauna Millar | Apr 30, 2021 | faith, hope, prayer, strength
It seems as if we are surrounded in a world filled with fear. Society around us has decidedly changed. The enemy is doing his best to steal, kill and destroy. We can see it in every aspect and walk of life. There doesn’t seem to be any corner left untouched.
Fight or flight is the general response to fear. It seems more people would rather just bury their heads in the sand and hope everything gets better. We know that faith without works is dead. However, did you know that faith is the opposite of fear? The bible tells us to “fear not”.
Isaiah 41:10
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.’
It can be difficult to find our faith when we are under attack – when it seems the enemy has created an impenetrable stronghold. Yet, our God stands with us. Firmly. He protects us. He keeps us in the shelter of His wings. He walks with us THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
He is with US – with you, with me – WHEREVER we go. There is no place where we travel that we are alone. God is with us. When we are weak, He is strong. We can call upon His strength. We can pray and communicate with our Heavenly Father and He will provide for us what we need, when we need it. The complexity in that statement is knowing that it is in HIS time, not ours.
Just because we want something NOW doesn’t mean that we will get it NOW. There are reasons we are told to put on the full armor of God daily. That armor will get beaten and battered, it will get worn in, but not worn down. We need to continually renew our hearts and minds.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
When was the last time, you took your time to spend in the presence of God?
We may struggle with what is happening in this world. We may struggle with what is happening in our lives. There is so much destruction. There is so much desperation. There are so many who have lost their way. There are so many who doubt that God exists. There are so many who don’t have a personal relationship with Christ.
It is our gift to be able to share our light with others – so that they may know Christ through us. How can we do that if we are living our lives in fear of what is to come? Or fear of what is happening around us? It is the strength of our faith that helps us move forward. It is the conviction of our hearts that allows us to stand firm.
Even with all these things, if we aren’t spending time in the presence of God, if we aren’t making time to pray and communicate, we are allowing ourselves to get worn down. When we are weary, it is easier for us to find ourselves not only under attack, but not able to stand the attack. It is easier for our minds to be compromised with thoughts that aren’t uplifting but are filled with fear and despair.
I encourage you to renew your faith today.
I encourage you to spend time in the presence of the Lord. Be in the moment with your Maker. Don’t let the distractions of the day seep in and take the blessing of time spent under His wings in renewal. Let your heart be filled with worship and praise. Let your soul dance in the presence of the One who made you. It will help you to be restored, refreshed and renewed.
It is in these moments that our faith grows stronger. It is with these moments that we find we can turn our faith to works. Don’t allow your faith to wither on the vine and die. Instead, allow it to flourish and grow. Allow it to give you strength to fight for what is right. To move forward in strength and conviction. To share love in a confused and struggling world.
We know our nation needs to turn back toward God. We know that with every step the enemy takes to remove God from our lives, we come closer to being a faithless, corrupt country. We need to stand up, not sit down because we are worried about who will say what. We need to take back what the Lord gave us.
We need to also remember we can’t do it alone. We can’t do it with our own strength. We need the Lord to guide us, to lead us, to be a part of our movement. We need to seek His will in our lives.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 41:13
For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
You are not alone on this journey.
by Shauna Millar | Apr 17, 2021 | encouragement, faith, General
Where do we find faith? Is it in the smell of the freshly cut grass? The feel of the coolness of the breeze as it passes over us? The sound of lawn mower? The person reading a book?
The leaves dancing in the wind? The brilliant green of the grass or the dazzling blue of the sky? When we look around us, what is it we see with not just our eyes, but our hearts, our hopes, our minds?
There are little signs of faith everywhere. We have faith that all these things will be here tomorrow. Yet, tomorrow isn’t promised to us. No, tomorrow is a concept we hold onto. It is something we choose to believe in even though we can’t see it.
We control this moment in time. Only this one. We can plan for the next and the one after that, but we have no real guarantee that it will be there for us. That is faith.
However, spiritual faith is more than all these things. Faith is not holding the hope that these things will be there tomorrow, but if tomorrow isn’t here, we will be with the Creator of these things.
God is a brilliant artist. He loves us and gave us a beautiful world filled with wonderful things. Yet, there are also awful things in the world. Too many attribute these to God as well.
He gave us a free will on how we will live our lives. He gives us the opportunity to surround ourselves with positives. Even in the midst of the negatives. We are a light set upon a hill. How brightly do you let your light shine? With all the things that are happening in the world around us, it is easy to lose sight of what is important.
It is easy to allow ourselves to forget the promises of God. It is easy to forget we are just travelers here. It is easy to forget that this is not our home, it is just the place we are passing through, allowing our light to shine and point others to the joy that is in a relationship with Christ.
Faith is the glue that holds us together when we are struggling; when we don’t understand what is happening in the world around us or even our own world. When my husband died, that pain in my heart was beyond allowing me to feel as if I could breath. It was my faith that carried me through.
Faith has carried me through all the difficult times in my life. My strong conviction that God truly is in control. It is not an easy path. It would be much simpler to just blame God for all my sorrows and troubles. It would seem easier to just curl up and let the world pass me by.
Easy isn’t in our vocabulary. The path we follow can be extremely difficult. History has shown us time and time again what type of persecution we can expect. People who don’t understand our relationship or who want to proclaim themselves god – above others. They are being lied to by the enemy, who is out to steal, kill and destroy.
Satan has been doing his job extremely well. Just look around at the world today and you can see it in almost every area of life. What kind of job are we doing? What kind of job am I doing? We are each responsible for not only our actions but our reactions in our lives. The way we deal with people, situations, troubles, burdens, etc.
I admit I don’t always handle situations in a manner that reflects well on my belief. Sometimes I just struggle with what is going on in my own little world, so much so that I lose focus. Happily, God remains on my side. He is faithful and just to forgive. I need forgiveness quite a bit.
None of us are perfect. We consistently fall short. We judge ourselves harshly and sometimes we judge others even more harshly. We need to find the balance in our lives. The Bible tells us to ‘judge not lest we be judged’ and ‘he who is without sin cast the first stone’. These are just gentle reminders that we are all sinners and fall short.
We live in a toxic environment; separated by politics, race, religion, and more. How do we change this pattern? We need to seek God’s wisdom. We need to not fall victim to the ideals of the world and find the seed of truth that God wants us to grow.
There is a truth that is buried in all our hearts – the value of a relationship with Christ. The connection that if we can make it, simply by asking Him into our lives and hearts, we will be able to learn to rise above differences and realize that we are equal in Him. That what the world says separates us, isn’t a truth. We aren’t separated by the color of our skin, we are only taught and told that, we choose what we believe.
We need to not allow ourselves to continue to be influenced by the world around us. We need instead, to influence the people in the world around us. Be that beacon of truth. Be strong in our faith and in who we are. Know who we are in Christ and believe in that relationship.
Faith is what helps to keep us on the right path, but faith without works is dead. We can’t just say we have faith, we need to act on it.
Will you do that today? After all, today may be all you have.
by Shauna Millar | Apr 9, 2021 | encouragement, faith
A journey of faith starts with understanding what faith is. There is a lot of skepticism that surrounds ‘faith’. Faith as defined by the dictionary (2:2), “belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion.”
We understand faith as defined by the Bible, Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV), “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
There are people who don’t understand this concept of faith, as they don’t believe in God. They believe He is a myth. Yet, there is a void inside them that they try to fill with everything but a relationship with their Creator. Or they want to declare themselves ‘god’ and not bow down to anyone. They want to create (by cloning, modifying DNA, etc.) to saythat that there is no difference between God and man.
Don’t look to fill your void with something else
Throughout history, we have seen the vanity of mankind in their attempt to fill the space that was meant for our relationship with God. The Tower of Babel, which is used as mythos as to why we speak different languages, was built with the intention of reaching the Heavens and preventing another flood. (God had already promised his people He would never destroy the world in this way again.)
The Golden Calf, created when Moses ascended the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. When Moses came down from the mountain, he found Israelites worshiping the golden calf; breaking the first and second commandments. Have no other God before Me, you shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below; don’t bow down to idols. (Read Exodus 20)
God is a jealous God
He desires a relationship with us. He doesn’t want anything to interfere in that relationship. His desire is for us. Often it is difficult for us to focus on what we can’t see. So, we fall back into what we can see. This is where faith comes in. This is also how the journey of faith begins.
We need to “lean not to our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will guide our path.” (Pro 3:5-6). The thing about faith is that when we first return to God, when we dedicate our lives to Him, when we decide we want that personal relationship; it is all about the journey. We believe that we are not part of this world, we are travelers passing through.
We recognize that we are not omnipotent; and although we can ‘create’, that there should be a line in what we create. God made us to be creative and inquisitive. It is in our nature to want to create: music, art, poetry, dance, inventions, etc. are all creative outlets after all.
Man Isn’t Meant to be God
Isn’t it odd that, on one hand, scientists are working to create embryos, that they are experimenting with human DNA to create ‘perfect’ children, while on the other hand, doctors are justifying abortion? This is man’s way of saying, we know better than God.
It is the intricate diversity of humanity that makes us incredible – being imperfect, flawed. Yet, grasping the idea that we are supposed to love our neighbor (who may be totally different than we are) as ourselves, seems to have been forgotten.
Isn’t it interesting, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, His reply was (Mt 22:36-40) “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The commandments were reduced to two things – loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Yet, what seems relatively easy and straightforward, people struggle with. They struggle with loving God because they don’t have a relationship with Him. They refuse to accept that there is a God and that they aren’t Him. They struggle with – wrestle with – both the spirit and the flesh. They let other things take over their hearts and minds thinking they know better.
In so doing, they aren’t able to do the second thing; love their neighbor as themselves. Why? Because they don’t truly love themselves. They love their flesh. They love the idols of the world. They love the idea of power. They love the idea of being better than others. They let their flesh rule them and ignore their spirit. They don’t want to live by faith. They want to feel in control of everything and not allow their lives to be ruled by anything other than their own wills.
Faith Makes Us Stronger
What they don’t realize is that faith is what makes us stronger. It is what heals both our spirit and flesh. It is what helps us to combine both parts of us. It is the balm to the wounds that we self inflict. Allowing God to lead us along His path is power. Giving up our will to allow God’s will to reign is true strength. Plus, the greatest benefit, God WANTS what is BEST for US.
God wants us to be successful. God wants us to have the desires of our heart. He wants us to do well. He wants us to have fiscal freedom. He wants us to be happy. Our happiness makes God happy. God doesn’t demand a lot from us, yet the world wants you to think that He does.
Perhaps you have heard this quote by Albert Camus “I would rather live my life as if there is a god and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life as if there isn’t and die to find out there is.”
Our faith tells us that there is a God. It is the foundation of our religion. Yet, people will fall on their swords before accepting Christ into their hearts or accepting the idea of their being a God in heaven? Why? I believe it is that we were created with the desire for communication with our Maker. This desire points to the fact that there is a God. Yet we were also born into sin, with human flesh and weakness; this means we were designed to seek our creator.
Much like in the trials of Job, where the devil asked God to allow him to test Job’s faith in God, we will find ourselves in the midst of those trials. Will you turn back? Will you curse God’s name? Will you act as if He doesn’t exist? Will you blame Him for all your problems and struggles? Or will you, like Job, maintain your faith and conviction that God is God. That no matter the situation we are in, He is there.
It is due to Job’s faith that God blessed Him sevenfold. He increased his holdings, he blessed him with beautiful children. God was walking on the journey of faith with Job and He rewarded Job’s faithfulness.
Is this a journey worth taking?
by Shauna Millar | Apr 2, 2021 | faith, General
We know that these three things remain, faith, hope and love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
We have touched on hope and love, now we will explore faith. Faith means ·being sure [the assurance; or the tangible reality; or the sure foundation] of the things we hope for and ·knowing that something is real even if we do not see it [the conviction/assurance/evidence about things not seen]. (Heb 11:1) We already know that faith and hope go hand in hand. At times it may even seem that the words are interchangeable.
Faith defined is: complete trust or confidence in someone or something. A strongly held belief or theory.
Hope is defined as: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. A feeling of trust.
Finally the definition of trust is: a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
Do we “earn” trust?
Perhaps you have heard the saying, “trust is earned not given.” Is this true? It is a constant underlined belief in our society. You may even have heard the addition – “trust is earned, respect is given”.
God placed His trust in us that we would return to Him by allowing His only son to be sacrificed on the cross for our benefit. What was the reason? He wanted us back. We didn’t have to prove ourselves worthy of His trust. We didn’t have to earn His trust. If we had, then we might still be waiting for His ultimate sacrifice to be made on our behalf.
God has proven His trust in us through repeated action. We need to learn to follow His example. Sure, trust can be broken. When we place our faith in someone and there is no follow through – we lose trust. We prove ourselves by doing what we say. Trust can be broken in so many ways. So often in today’s society we say one thing and do another, it is no wonder that people aren’t willing to “freely give their trust”.
We can look at earlier generations to realize that people were more trusting. Honesty and integrity were a vital part of life. Respect of others and the world around them wasn’t taken for granted. It was something people just did. It was expected. Distrust was the exception, not the rule. (It happened, even in the Bible we have the example of Judas.)
Today these beliefs are in short supply. The idea that people aren’t willing to put faith and trust in God is almost understandable; especially when they don’t have a personal relationship with Him. Can you blame them? The examples we see around us are disheartening at their best. Even believers are stumbling to keep their eyes toward heaven. The world is giving us a beating and it just seems to keep coming at us.
It is not God who fails – it’s man
When we look at family and what it should be compared to what it has become, we find that the values are no longer the same. Divorce, single parent homes, children being left to their own devices; all in the name of ‘freedom’. What children are being taught is not just a lack of discipline but that they don’t have value. If they did, why would we leave them alone to their own devices?
Compare yesterday’s generations to today’s. The generations that learned what it meant by “spare the rod, spoil the child”. Look at the 8th grade tests from the late 1800’s/early 1900’s; things we would have no clue how to solve today. More was expected of children and they ROSE up to meet those expectations.
Sure, not all children require the same type of discipline. We are, after all, unique individuals. Some are more sensitive than others. Some people will argue against the “rod” method that the Bible talks about. Let me be clear here. The Bible doesn’t tell us to abuse our children. It doesn’t tell us to beat them. It tells us to discipline them. Raise them up in the way they should go and they shall not depart from it. (Pro 22:6)
As I mentioned, some children only require a look of disappointment to respond. This is why it is important we KNOW our children. We need to understand them as individuals in order to best guide them.
What does this have to do with Faith?
Simple. Children have faith. It isn’t something they are taught. it is something inherent in them. They don’t lose their faith until they have been influenced by others. It is what they are taught that changes their perspective. This is why the innocence of a child is so important. Why children need to be allowed to be children. We are given the opportunity to see the world through their eyes. A reminder of what has changed in us. Learning from them while we teach them to become their own person.
Children believe that their parents have their best interest at heart. They don’t question it. It isn’t something they examine under a microscope. It just is. When that belief is challenged; whether it is abuse, neglect, or giving the job to someone else – they lose their faith, not only in their parents, but the world around them. They become distrustful of the world.
We can learn to have a child’s faith with God, our Father. The difference is, that unlike those around us, God will never let us down. He will never do anything to break our trust. He will only continue to give us reasons to have faith and believe.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Faith is something that shouldn’t be a challenge for us, but it can be. The older we get, the more the world has smacked us around, the more those around us have influenced us to distrust. Yet, the more our faith is challenged, the more it gives us opportunities. We will either rise to the occasion and grow closer to the Lord. Or we will fall under the pressure of the world and move away from Him. Just remember that no matter which direction we move, God is always moving TOWARD us.
Joshua 1:9 – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
God is with US no matter what
We can choose to embrace our faith and to have faith or we can choose to ignore it. It is why we were given free will. We can choose to allow the world around us to drag us down or we can fight for it. We can pray. We can share our lives and hearts with others. We can be an influencer. We can show others the strength of our faith. We can be a beacon of what happens when we trust. We can share our hope.
God will direct our path.
Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
