Never a storm only an opportunity

Never a storm only an opportunity

by | Dec 12, 2017 | encouragement, General, strength

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Have you ever watched a storm roll in? If you are paying attention you can see the signs. The air temperature starts to change. The color of the sky slowly changes; clouds move in front of what may have been a bright blue warm sky. Sometimes the storms come in slowly and you have plenty of warning to get in out of the weather. Other times, they happen so quickly, you blink and there is a deluge of wind, rain, snow or sleet.

They happen in our lives that way as well. There are times you can see the changes rolling in. You know they are coming. You have time to prepare yourself. Then there are those times when you don’t have that opportunity. Where your life changes instantaneously. Out of the blue. No warning. These are the storms that are harder to weather. They catch us off guard. Out of position. Our first reaction is often to panic. To run and hide. This gives us time to gather our thoughts together. To come up with a plan to weather the storm. There are emergency systems in place for psychical storms; yet even those are not always enough.

When a storm catches you off guard, it doesn’t mean that you will lose everything and be destroyed. It means that you are being given an opportunity to learn to rely on God. To put your belief system and your faith to the test. To grow stronger in His love and in His grace. Sure, it is easy to say, and it is much, much harder to do. Yet, it can be done. It won’t happen in an instant; like a life change can. No, it will take time.

It takes time to rebuild after you have been battered against the rocks. After you have been swept out to sea. It takes time to swim back to shore. It takes time to climb back up to the top of the cliff. We get to choose how we will handle the storms that roll into our life; both expected and unexpected. We get to choose whether we are going to sit down and give up or rest in the Lord and renew our strength, so we can start to rebuild ourselves. It isn’t about not being broken. It doesn’t mean you will be “whole” the way you were before. What it means is that you will be renewed. You will be restored to the place you are meant to be. Which isn’t always the place we think we need to be or should be. We don’t know the path that we are walking. We don’t get to see it fully. From time to time it is moment to moment. We do get to believe that we are being taken care of and loved. We do get to strengthen our faith and trust in God that He will see us through. While we do this, we find that we become stronger again. We find that we are able to take a step. A breath. If you can do that. Take the first one. Then you will find that taking the next one, while difficult is doable. You will see that you CAN do it. The first one is the most difficult.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be a lot of “first” steps. However, when you do the first one, you know you can do it. So, the next time you need to move forward you will find that the strength you need is there. You will grow stronger every time. You will move forward and before you know it. You will be back on the beach or at the top of the hill or on the mountaintop. A storm is an opportunity. You choose what to make of it.

Prayer

Father we thank you for this day. We thank you that we can lean and rely on you when the storms sweep through our lives and carry us away. We thank you that when we don’t feel as if we have the strength, we can trust in you to take care of us. That you will guard us and keep us while we rest and renew in your presence. We thank you for keeping watch over us day and night. That even when we are beaten and battered and feel we can go no farther, You are with us.

We know that we don’t always understand what is happening in our lives or the reasons why. We have faith that You know the reasons. You know the direction we need to go in our lives. That you will keep our feet on the path that we should be walking. We thank you for your love and mercy, for your everlasting love and your strength to get us through both the tough times and the good times.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen

Be the light you want to see in others

Be the light you want to see in others

by | Nov 23, 2017 | Fruits of the spirit, General

It’s easy to get frustrated by people, who are taking their anger out on you or someone you know. We can get easily offended and respond in kind. It can take a lot of inner strength to step back from our emotions and view things in a different light. To not take on the feelings that are being directed at us and then pass them on to someone else.

Often times we will take home all the verbal and emotional garbage that has been poured out on us during the day. We find ourselves unable to leave it at the door and end up taking it out on those around us – to whom it doesn’t belong either. Then you may hear someone who is trying to be helpful telling you to “turn the other cheek” – as if it is a physical action we need to take. Yet, in this day and age where people feel the need to say and do whatever they think or feel at the moment, turning the other cheek takes on a different perspective.

Look at it like this; when someone dumps their emotional junk on you, instead of taking it home or passing it along to someone else, we need to allow it to drop where it is. We take the bombardment with the love of Christ. We understand that their emotions aren’t directed at us personally but instead allow them to use us as a sounding board. To vent. Whether we deserve it or not. Whether we want it or not. We allow it in the hopes that they will leave it with us and not pass it along to someone else. Then we give it over to Christ; where we leave all our anxieties and burdens.

In a perfect world this would be easy. In practice it isn’t. It is tough to not allow those negative feelings to overcome us. To take them on and then pass them along. To want to make someone else feel the way we are. It takes understanding and learning; growing the fruits of the spirit in our lives. Things that are often very tough to master on their own let alone when someone is directing anger toward you.

You aren’t alone. We all want to respond in kind at times. It takes a lot of spiritual growing on our parts to be able to let these kind of things not affect us. It doesn’t happen over night. You might do it once and then the next time you might not be able to. Remember that we are to be a light in the darkness. If you want to touch someone else life, be the light you want to see in others. Be the example of shining brightly. Strive to learn to let it go.

Prayer

Lord,

We thank you for this day and the opportunity to be the light we want to see in others. We thank you that we can cast our cares and worries on you. That we can lay our burdens at your feet. That you will give us the strength to move forward and grow in Your grace and love. We thank you for helping us to realize that this doesn’t happen over night. That it is a continual process.

Help us to not be hard on ourselves when we fail. Help us to see the lesson that each opportunity provides to us. Help us to learn to let go so that we can grow and bear our spiritual fruits. So that we can be the person you would have us to be. Help us to know when it is time to be still. Help us to not pass along our anger and frustration to others.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen

Trusting God in the storms

Trusting God in the storms

by | Aug 30, 2017 | encouragement, General, Lord Hear Our Prayer

Sometimes the rush of life has you moving so fast down stream you don’t know which way the safety of the shore is. You find yourself being pushed along and feeling like you have no choice in the matter. Your mind is so filled with the things that are not only going on today, but tomorrow as well. These are the moments that we need to learn to slow ourselves down and remember that God is in control of our tomorrow. That He is the one we need to trust to get carry us through.

Jesus calmed the storm on the sea when the disciples were doing exactly what the majority of us would do; freak out. All they had to do was trust Him and remember that they just needed to put their eyes on Him, once again. Even though they were with Him, they didn’t always keep their eyes on Him. They didn’t always understand the full nature and the love of Christ. There are two parts to us; the human us and the spiritual us. These are constantly at war within us.

You may have heard this saying, “Two forces beat within my breast one is curse the other blessed, the one I love the one I hate, the one I feed will dominate.” The Bible reminds us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.” Not only is there a war going on around us; there is a war going on within us. There is a fight for who we are and who we will be. There is a fight for us to follow the nature of Christ and to follow the things of the world. Sometimes we are closer to one side than the other. Yet, even when we feel as if we are ‘failing’ as long as we remind ourselves to put our eyes back on our Creator and trust in Him to continue to keep us and know He has the best for us in mind. Then we can move forward in confidence and not fear.

Remember it is not about what someone else is doing. It is not about what someone else has. Or what they have accomplished. It is about our personal relationship with Christ. There will come a day that it will just be you standing before the throne. There won’t be anyone for you to point a finger at and ask, “what about him?” “what about what she did?” No the only question you will have to answer is “what about me?” What did you do? Where was your faith? Where was your trust? Maybe you ‘failed’, maybe you ‘succeeded’ but either way did you place your heart and mind on the things above and not below? Did you remember to look toward the hills from which comes you help? Did you remember to pray and praise Him in all situations?

It is never too late to place your heart and mind, your trust and faith, in Christ. Every day begins anew. Even every moment is one that you will never have again. You get to choose how you react and respond to this fast-paced world. It is not always easy. You may not always be able to choose one of the fruits of the spirit to help you react. You may react poorly. This is okay. This is part of who you are. It is what you do in the next moment and all the ones that follow. You will have ample opportunities to strengthen your faith and belief. Don’t be afraid to use them to place your trust in the Lord.

Prayer

Lord we thank you for this day and the trials we face. We thank you that even though sometimes we choose to react out of anger or despair, you see us where we are and hold us in your arms. You keep us safe in the shelter of your wings. We thank you that you have given us the opportunity to grow in your grace and love. We ask that you continue to help us to strive to follow you in each and every moment.

Help us not to harshly judge ourselves when we fail in these things. But help us to learn from every situation. To move forward and grow closer to you.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Understanding Faith

Understanding Faith

by | Jul 25, 2017 | General

Faith is the substance* of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)

Faith – complete trust or confidence in someone or something (Merriam-Webster)

*substance – the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence.

Sometimes I think that we forget what faith is. We use the word as if it explains everything. It is not in our words; it is in our actions, that show how much faith we have. You see, it is easy to say that I have faith in something and never be tested or tried or held accountable to it. For the most part, we use the word “faith” as a descriptor of what our religious beliefs are –  not as the action word that it really is. We only quote the scripture, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26) when it suits us. Other times, we just tend to forget that scripture even exists.

How do we rely on our faith? How do we use our actions to convey our faith? First, I believe that this is dependent on where you are as a believer. If we believe what the Bible tells us; that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed (have you seen the size of a mustard seed?) we can say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move. NOTHING is impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)

This Scripture actually says a lot about our faith levels. How many of us even have faith the size of a mustard seed? A mustard seed is 1-2 millimeters (0.039 – 0.079 inches). In other words, it is VERY tiny. You can find places that sell mustard seeds encased in a pendant or a pen. It shows how small one is. I would almost recommend getting one, just as a reminder, how small our faith can be and God still works in our lives. Yet, it’s not enough to just believe it can be done. I remind you that faith without works (actions, movement) is dead. This means that WE need to move forward in faith; working towards the goals that we want to achieve while resting in the knowledge that God will provide.

Here is where, I feel, a fine line is often drawn. Just because WE want something and have faith and work toward it, doesn’t always mean we will receive it. WHAT?? If we believe that God is a good and just father and we are trusting Him to do what is best for us, then we also have to accept that what we want (our will) might be in conflict with what God has for us. We need to learn to trust God and have the confidence to realize He does know what is best for us. Moving forward in this knowledge will direct us toward the places He wants us to be and open out hearts to hear His voice as He directs us.

 

Prayer

Father God,

We just come before you and ask you to lead us and guide us. Teach us what faith is and how to grow in it. When to be still so we can hear your voice and have you direct our path. Show us which direction you would have us go on a daily basis.

We thank you for giving us the opportunities to grow our faith to the size of a mustard seed. Teach us how to take that first step. We thank you for helping us to grow our trust in you. For recognizing you for the loving father that you are.

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen

Eye of the Storm

Eye of the Storm

by | Jul 7, 2017 | General, Lord Hear Our Prayer

God is doing a new work in you! He is renewing your spirit. Refreshing your mind. He is giving you joy where there once was sorrow. He is preparing a place just for you!

Be encouraged! Know that the storm you are going through is only temporary. You will find yourself in its eye, filled with silence and quiet, a time for you to refresh and renew before being swept away again. Fear not! For He is with you! What He has planned for you is joy, peace, prosperity and love. What you receive, make sure you give it away to others. So their lives can be filled with His blessing and His presence. Don’t be afraid to walk through the valley. He is with you!

Whether you find yourself on top of the mountain or in the depths of the valley. Rejoice! Praise! Pray! Talk to your Father, for He truly cares for you. He wants the best for you. It is in the storms we learn to lean, trust and rely on Him. We become stronger in Him. He takes our weakness and exchanges it. We seek Him and learn His voice in that quietness that is the eye of the storm.

Prayer

Father,

We know that you love us. We know that you keep us sheltered. Yet, sometimes we forget when we are in the midst of trials and tribulations. Help to remind us in each moment that you are surrounding us with your love. That you are taking care of us and loving us. Help us to remember that when the storm rages, you calm the tide, you give us rest when we are weary.

Remind us that it is okay to give you our burdens. Not only is it okay, but you want us to. Remind us that we don’t have to travel these paths carrying things that we can place in your care. That you want to relieve us and teach us to trust you in each and every situation.

We thank you for your love and your mercy each and every day.

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash