I am thrilled to anounce big news in our family! My brother and sister in law are expecting their first child. The pregnancy is about halfway through and they went to have the ultrasound to determine the sex of the baby....and the baby is a BOY. I have been awaiting the arrival of their first child since 2002, when my own daughter, Mariah, was born. I believe Shane and Laura are very well suited for parenthood, and I am sure their child will be blessed beyond measure. I just want to share this morning some wonderful words from God about having children, and what they mean to Him.
Psalm 127:3-4 (NIV):
"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons borne in one's youth."
Each and every child is special because it is created by the very hands of God. God forms the baby in the woman, and already has a plan for that child's life. We are blessed each and every day in the presence of our children, as they learn from us, and also TEACH us new things about life. I am so excited to know that Shane and Laura will experience all the blessings of being parents to this beautiful new son. God bless them richly in the name of Jesus!
Shane and La,
I LOVE YOU BOTH so very much!
Lord,
Today I thank you that you are full of wisdom and you know the perfect timing to bless us with children in our lives. You tell us that children are a reward, so I thank you for rewarding Shane and Laura with this coming child. I thank you that you will continue to love them each and every day, and I ask that you give them wisdom in the way to raise your child. Bless them today with patience and kindness, joy and peace. After sleepless nights, grant them rest. Show them that you are with them through it all! I thank you for the blessing that this child will be on our entire family - both sides. He is going to grow full of wisdom and strength. Bless him with humor! I pray right now that you would raise up this son of yours to be a mighty man of God. I pray that you will guide Shane and Laura through each day of their lives, and that you would show them how to train a child up in the way he should go....for when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). Give their family exceedingly abundantly more than they could ever think or ask for, in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Blessed with a nephew,
Sarah
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Blessed and Highly Favored
Today, I ran into a dear sister in the Lord in the commissary. God always has the most amazing divine appointments laid out for me. I thought I was going to get some hot dogs, but I really was there to receive encouragement from the Lord. Since the Lord revealed the sin of pride in my life, I have been praying for and seeking humility before man and God. The Lord has shown me how He keeps working in circumstances, even when I am flopping on the floor, rendering myself useless to Him. Have you ever been there?
I often hear from my sisters in Christ that I am "blessed and highly favored." For a long time, I wondered what that even meant, as I sometimes do not "feel" favored and blessed by God. Today, I was pondering this phrase after hearing it, and realized how blessed and highly favored I really am! Yes, I lost a child in the miscarriage a short while ago. That did not feel like a blessing at the time, but the blessing was that God used tribulation in my life to cause His greatness in me to emerge. Through it, I kept telling people that I had great peace and joy...that was the only way to explain how I felt inside. I knew in my rational mind that I could have been mourning deeply, or upset over the loss, but instead....I praised the Lord for glorifying Himself through my life. As I praised Him, He filled my heart with joy and peace, and made a very difficult time easier to endure. And even though I do not have ANOTHER child, I am blessed beyond measure with the family God HAS given me. He has given me a husband who loves me deeply, amazing and beautiful children, and the life I always dreamed about having. He has blessed me with a peace that surpasses all understanding, and helps me to endure the harder trials of life. He has given me a home, a purpose in life, and the physical health to keep up with all the responsibilities He has placed in my life. He has blessed me with comfort, faith in Him, and most of all.....LOVE that I could not even begin to explain. He has blessed me with the desire to seek Him, and enabled me spiritually to be full of zeal and passion for His Word. The list of blessings could go on and on. He has pulled me out of the pit, and given me abundant life, in doing exceedingly, abundantly more than I could ever think or ask for. He is a great God and I love Him very much.
I just wanted to write today and give Him thanks for what He has already done in my life. I think many times, we are looking so vigorously toward the future that we forget to stop and thank God for everything He has done in the past. Every once in awhile, I will have a memory come into my mind of a place I have been, or something I did in the past that was wrong, and I can feel the fear, pain and shame rolling back into my heart. But then, God steps into my thoughts and helps to stop me from dwelling on the past. Many times, I say out loud "I am just not going to think about that, God has forgiven me." I do mourn over my prior sinfulness because I know it hurt God, but I also do not spend time thinking about it because I know He knows my thoughts. The Word says we should take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I know where I came from, but I also know who God has made me to be, and that is where I get confidence from. I know that I am becoming the woman God created me to be, and every step of the way, I am blessed and highly favored....as are all of you who have been chosen by the Lord, and accepted His call on your life to bring glory to His name. If you have received salvation in Jesus Christ, you are blessed and highly favored in that one thing alone.
I would encourage you today to take a minute or two, and just thank the Lord, give Him praise for what He has done in your life. Remember for but a moment the land out of which He delivered you, and gaze into the future with hope of the promised land where He is taking you. People who say the Old Testament is no longer relevant have not spent enough time reading and getting to know the God of the Old Testament (which is the same God as the New Testament). He is a mighty Deliverer, and He has been our Savior since before the creation of this world. There is no other God but Him. He is our Everything! We are blessed and highly favored that He even chose to create us in the first place. Give Him thanks with a grateful heart.
Psalm 30:4 (NKJV):
"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name."
Proverbs 11:27 (NKJV):
"He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil."
If you want to know more about the blessings of obedience to God's commands, read Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Know that, in this passage, He was speaking to Israel, but now these promises have been extended to the Gentiles (non-Jews), and God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If you want God's blessing on your life, pray that God would strengthen you to follow all of his commandments carefully.
I pray that each of you finds blessing and favor in the eyes of the Lord. May He bless your land richly and show you His favor and love once again in the name of Jesus. I thank God for the blessings and favor in my own life, and pray that He would continue to empower me to live out His will, and follow His commands obediently. I pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Blessed and Highly Favored,
Sarah
I often hear from my sisters in Christ that I am "blessed and highly favored." For a long time, I wondered what that even meant, as I sometimes do not "feel" favored and blessed by God. Today, I was pondering this phrase after hearing it, and realized how blessed and highly favored I really am! Yes, I lost a child in the miscarriage a short while ago. That did not feel like a blessing at the time, but the blessing was that God used tribulation in my life to cause His greatness in me to emerge. Through it, I kept telling people that I had great peace and joy...that was the only way to explain how I felt inside. I knew in my rational mind that I could have been mourning deeply, or upset over the loss, but instead....I praised the Lord for glorifying Himself through my life. As I praised Him, He filled my heart with joy and peace, and made a very difficult time easier to endure. And even though I do not have ANOTHER child, I am blessed beyond measure with the family God HAS given me. He has given me a husband who loves me deeply, amazing and beautiful children, and the life I always dreamed about having. He has blessed me with a peace that surpasses all understanding, and helps me to endure the harder trials of life. He has given me a home, a purpose in life, and the physical health to keep up with all the responsibilities He has placed in my life. He has blessed me with comfort, faith in Him, and most of all.....LOVE that I could not even begin to explain. He has blessed me with the desire to seek Him, and enabled me spiritually to be full of zeal and passion for His Word. The list of blessings could go on and on. He has pulled me out of the pit, and given me abundant life, in doing exceedingly, abundantly more than I could ever think or ask for. He is a great God and I love Him very much.
I just wanted to write today and give Him thanks for what He has already done in my life. I think many times, we are looking so vigorously toward the future that we forget to stop and thank God for everything He has done in the past. Every once in awhile, I will have a memory come into my mind of a place I have been, or something I did in the past that was wrong, and I can feel the fear, pain and shame rolling back into my heart. But then, God steps into my thoughts and helps to stop me from dwelling on the past. Many times, I say out loud "I am just not going to think about that, God has forgiven me." I do mourn over my prior sinfulness because I know it hurt God, but I also do not spend time thinking about it because I know He knows my thoughts. The Word says we should take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I know where I came from, but I also know who God has made me to be, and that is where I get confidence from. I know that I am becoming the woman God created me to be, and every step of the way, I am blessed and highly favored....as are all of you who have been chosen by the Lord, and accepted His call on your life to bring glory to His name. If you have received salvation in Jesus Christ, you are blessed and highly favored in that one thing alone.
I would encourage you today to take a minute or two, and just thank the Lord, give Him praise for what He has done in your life. Remember for but a moment the land out of which He delivered you, and gaze into the future with hope of the promised land where He is taking you. People who say the Old Testament is no longer relevant have not spent enough time reading and getting to know the God of the Old Testament (which is the same God as the New Testament). He is a mighty Deliverer, and He has been our Savior since before the creation of this world. There is no other God but Him. He is our Everything! We are blessed and highly favored that He even chose to create us in the first place. Give Him thanks with a grateful heart.
Psalm 30:4 (NKJV):
"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name."
Proverbs 11:27 (NKJV):
"He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil."
If you want to know more about the blessings of obedience to God's commands, read Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Know that, in this passage, He was speaking to Israel, but now these promises have been extended to the Gentiles (non-Jews), and God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If you want God's blessing on your life, pray that God would strengthen you to follow all of his commandments carefully.
I pray that each of you finds blessing and favor in the eyes of the Lord. May He bless your land richly and show you His favor and love once again in the name of Jesus. I thank God for the blessings and favor in my own life, and pray that He would continue to empower me to live out His will, and follow His commands obediently. I pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Blessed and Highly Favored,
Sarah
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Pride Creates Separation from God's Presence
Good morning, readers and hearers of God's Word! I have been spending my time in worship of the Almighty God this morning, and I kept going back to a song called "Consuming Fire" by Third Day. As I sang it back to God, and acknowledged the greatness of who He is, I had a revelation about God's character and the nature of His relationship with us. You see, I have been going through a very unusual and strange feeling season with God, and after a season of amazing grace showering down on my life....I seemed to be swimming upstream against the current. I have been praying and seeking God, and worshipping Him, and doing everything basically the same as I have before....but something just seems distant and different about my relationship with God. He seemed to be farther away...and I could not figure out why. I have come to realize that there was one serious problem with where my walk was going....I had become prideful. One of the challenges of seeing God do miracles, and work powerfully in your life is that the enemy uses pride to draw you away from God. This time, pride manifested in thinking that I was just "doing good in my walk" and that I didn't really need to put as much effort into seeking God as before. Everything seemed to be going so smoothly. I started to get lazy, apathetic, and just expect God to move without my obedience in some areas. As ugly as it sounds, I also began believing that God had positioned me to teach others about Him, without having to obey everything myself. Sounds pretty ugly, huh?
God is revealing ugly parts of my sinful nature because He wants to refine me through His fire, and make me into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am a long way from being "Christ-like." To be honest, I wanted to stop writing this blog yesterday when I realized how my attitude of writing may have affected the advancement of my brothers and sisters in their walks with Christ, or in leading them to His love and forgiveness. I want to make clear that, although I hear from God, and I walk with Him....I am not Him. I am still in the flesh, and I am going to make mistakes, and get a bad attitude sometimes, and act stubbornly or selfishly. I have struggled with almost every possible sin at one point or another, and I still am being perfected by the grace of God. The Word presented in this blog, and the ideas are to be taken and measured against the Holy Scriptures. One should never just take "my word for it" but should be driven into the arms of the One, Perfect, True, Loving God. He is perfect, but I am not. The words here are intended by myself and by God to draw you into a deeper relationship with Him! I sincerely apologize for the times when my own sin may have muttled the message from God. I humbly ask for each and every one of your forgiveness.
God showed me this morning that pride is unacceptable in our lives because there is only One who is Worthy of praise, and that is the Lord God Almighty! Why is He worthy of praise....just read the Word and you will find His goodness and His majesty, and His perfection! He has never sinned, and He is above all of the worldly things that we face. He humbled Himself to come down to us, walking in the flesh as Jesus. He allowed His own creation to murder Him on the cross, and then through His great love, rose from the dead....providing salvation for all of us who follow in the path of believing in Him, dying to ourselves, and rising as a new creation in Christ. It was His great love, mercy and compassion on fallen people to rescue us from the pit of hell. He judges peoples and nations in perfect justice according to heavenly law that came down to earth through Moses. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). When we have pride in our lives, we are like Lucifer, who now is called Satan who thought he could be better at being God than the Father God already was. He rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven for his pride and rebellion. God IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE, the only One who is worthy of praise. We will never be above God, no matter how hard we try, because we are only receiving salvation through His grace and mercy in our lives. Without Him, we would all be headed for eternal damnation....so I believe He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving!
The Word tells us that God reaches down into the miry clay (Psalm 40:2) and He saves us. He sets us high upon the Rock (Psalm 27:5). I know from personal testimony that God is my Savior. He took me from a life of misery, failure, and despair....and He set me high upon the Rock of Jesus. He has given me peace, joy and immeasurable hope in Him. He has blessed me beyond anything I could imagine, and I praise Him that I am here to write to you all another day. My life is but a vapor (James 4:14), but God has plans for this world and I am thankful that He has chosen to use me for His glory! Any knowledge or wisdom that I have is nothing without the Presence of His Holy Spirit teaching me all things. I have confessed my sin to Him and He has been faithful to me to forgive me and restore peace to my soul. Praise be to God forever and ever, Amen.
Lord,
Thank you so much for Your great compassion and mercy. Thank you for reaching down and giving me salvation through Jesus Christ, and for pouring out Your Spirit upon me. Thank you for the Great and wonderful Counselor You have given us. Thank You for searching my heart and mind continually, and revealing any anxious thought or sinful way in me. Thank you for being faithful to forgive me when I confess my sins, and for restoring peace and grace in my life. Thank you recently for all the gifts you have brought me, especially during a time when I least deserved any. That is just evidence of Who You are, and the measure of your grace upon those who love You and trust You. Thank you for giving me a heart of surrender and submission, and for showing me how to trust and love my husband in a deeper way than ever before, and to let him be the leader (head) of this household. I thank you for all the work I have seen you do in my family, and the work you are doing that I cannot see. I thank you for giving Mariah your precious voice, please make it clearer for her to hear as well. Draw her heart closer to Yours, and reveal great and unsearchable things to her heart. Show her again how much you love her. Thank you for giving my husband a confidence in You and himself that will help him to lead this family in Your ways successfully. Thank you for the continued blessing upon our household, and for the work you are doing. Please continue to persist after those who reject You, having all longsuffering and patience, and draw them closer to salvation in You. I give you all honor, glory and praise in Jesus' name, Amen.
Humbled before Him,
Sarah
God is revealing ugly parts of my sinful nature because He wants to refine me through His fire, and make me into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am a long way from being "Christ-like." To be honest, I wanted to stop writing this blog yesterday when I realized how my attitude of writing may have affected the advancement of my brothers and sisters in their walks with Christ, or in leading them to His love and forgiveness. I want to make clear that, although I hear from God, and I walk with Him....I am not Him. I am still in the flesh, and I am going to make mistakes, and get a bad attitude sometimes, and act stubbornly or selfishly. I have struggled with almost every possible sin at one point or another, and I still am being perfected by the grace of God. The Word presented in this blog, and the ideas are to be taken and measured against the Holy Scriptures. One should never just take "my word for it" but should be driven into the arms of the One, Perfect, True, Loving God. He is perfect, but I am not. The words here are intended by myself and by God to draw you into a deeper relationship with Him! I sincerely apologize for the times when my own sin may have muttled the message from God. I humbly ask for each and every one of your forgiveness.
God showed me this morning that pride is unacceptable in our lives because there is only One who is Worthy of praise, and that is the Lord God Almighty! Why is He worthy of praise....just read the Word and you will find His goodness and His majesty, and His perfection! He has never sinned, and He is above all of the worldly things that we face. He humbled Himself to come down to us, walking in the flesh as Jesus. He allowed His own creation to murder Him on the cross, and then through His great love, rose from the dead....providing salvation for all of us who follow in the path of believing in Him, dying to ourselves, and rising as a new creation in Christ. It was His great love, mercy and compassion on fallen people to rescue us from the pit of hell. He judges peoples and nations in perfect justice according to heavenly law that came down to earth through Moses. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). When we have pride in our lives, we are like Lucifer, who now is called Satan who thought he could be better at being God than the Father God already was. He rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven for his pride and rebellion. God IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE, the only One who is worthy of praise. We will never be above God, no matter how hard we try, because we are only receiving salvation through His grace and mercy in our lives. Without Him, we would all be headed for eternal damnation....so I believe He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving!
The Word tells us that God reaches down into the miry clay (Psalm 40:2) and He saves us. He sets us high upon the Rock (Psalm 27:5). I know from personal testimony that God is my Savior. He took me from a life of misery, failure, and despair....and He set me high upon the Rock of Jesus. He has given me peace, joy and immeasurable hope in Him. He has blessed me beyond anything I could imagine, and I praise Him that I am here to write to you all another day. My life is but a vapor (James 4:14), but God has plans for this world and I am thankful that He has chosen to use me for His glory! Any knowledge or wisdom that I have is nothing without the Presence of His Holy Spirit teaching me all things. I have confessed my sin to Him and He has been faithful to me to forgive me and restore peace to my soul. Praise be to God forever and ever, Amen.
Lord,
Thank you so much for Your great compassion and mercy. Thank you for reaching down and giving me salvation through Jesus Christ, and for pouring out Your Spirit upon me. Thank you for the Great and wonderful Counselor You have given us. Thank You for searching my heart and mind continually, and revealing any anxious thought or sinful way in me. Thank you for being faithful to forgive me when I confess my sins, and for restoring peace and grace in my life. Thank you recently for all the gifts you have brought me, especially during a time when I least deserved any. That is just evidence of Who You are, and the measure of your grace upon those who love You and trust You. Thank you for giving me a heart of surrender and submission, and for showing me how to trust and love my husband in a deeper way than ever before, and to let him be the leader (head) of this household. I thank you for all the work I have seen you do in my family, and the work you are doing that I cannot see. I thank you for giving Mariah your precious voice, please make it clearer for her to hear as well. Draw her heart closer to Yours, and reveal great and unsearchable things to her heart. Show her again how much you love her. Thank you for giving my husband a confidence in You and himself that will help him to lead this family in Your ways successfully. Thank you for the continued blessing upon our household, and for the work you are doing. Please continue to persist after those who reject You, having all longsuffering and patience, and draw them closer to salvation in You. I give you all honor, glory and praise in Jesus' name, Amen.
Humbled before Him,
Sarah
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Facing Failure...In Christ
Awww....failure. Who really wants to talk about it? Most people want to believe that they will be successful in whatever they attempt to do in life. Many already know the harsh reality of failure, or have been deeply hurt by it. Some give up on life, some become depressed and believe they are worthless losers, some just muttle through one failure after another, some take it with pride and dignity (pretending they never failed at all), and some do not know which way to turn when faced with failure in their lives. I could probably safely say that I have dealt with failure in all of these ways.
When we humbly come to Christ and admit our failures (sins) in life, we ask for His forgiveness and He gives us a wonderful promise in scripture:
Romans 8:28 (NKJV):
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."
He promises to work all thing together for good in the lives of those who love Him. This means that even our failures can work for good in our lives. The human mind does not comprehend how that would be possible, but by the Spirit of God, we can gain understanding of what God means. Sometimes, He even allows us to fail so He can bring about good in our lives. I have a hard time wrapping my heart around this scripture sometimes, although I believe all of God's Word is inerrant and true. The practical application of this truth can be difficult at times to accept.
As a little background, I spent most of my life being depressed over failures, both real and imagined. I recently learned through study of God's Word that I also struggle with a fear of failure (both real and imagined) which is called "anxiety." God has revealed this battle to me lately, along with revealing that I am not willing or accepting of failure in my life. I just don't consider failing to be an option. I read an article today from a Christian magazine and it said that this problem I have is there because of pride in my life. I agree, as hard as it may be to admit that.
Today, I was walking home from school with my daughter and the Lord spoke something profoudn to me. This is really silly to some, but real to me....my daughter is having Red Ribbon Week at school and each day they wear a different article of clothing. Well, today, I did "crazy sock day" and it was not that day, but it was "inside out shirt day." So, I sent her in crazy mismatched socks, and her shirt was SUPPOSED to be inside out instead. Most people would think, "oh well," I made a mistake. I started praying over my failure to keep track of my daughter's needs at school. I began to confess all the times recently when I had let someone down, or forgot to do something (which happens all the time), or forgot my daughter's snack for school, or didn't memorize my scriptures...and before I knew it...I was in a deep hole of feeling like a complete failure in daily life. I have struggled with this for a long time. It may not sound like much, but it is very real battle in my life. I want desperately to remember everything, and to be everything to everyone. I have fear of man more than fear of God sometimes. So anyway, this is what the Lord said to me as I was confessing all my failures, and feeling sorry for myself.
He said "Sarah, I know you messed up again. I know you failed, like you have failed in the past, but I LOVE YOU just the way you are. Other people are going to keep track of your failures, but I am just going to love you anyway."
Then I felt a peace come over me, and I knew that the reason He has been allowing me to fail is because He wants me to know that He loves me even through my failures as a wife, friend, mother, follower, and daughter of God. He is going to love me anyway, and He is still going to allow me a place in heaven with Him. As long as I do not turn away from Him and His love, He will always keep showing me how much He loves me, and He will help me through any stumble, fall, failure, or mountain that I have to climb. He is the lover of my soul, and I DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT to earn His love and salvation. He gave it to me for free.
So without saying any more....I just want to GIVE THE LORD SOME PRAISE! PRAISE HIM FOR LOVING ME SO MUCH DESPITE MY FAILURES. HE LOVES ME WHEN I FORGET THINGS, AND HE LOVES ME WHEN I SAY THE WRONG THING, DO THE WRONG THING OR DISAPPOINT MAN TIME AND TIME AGAIN! PRAISE THE LORD THAT HE IS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD WHEN I AM FAITHLESS. PRAISE THE LORD THAT HE NEVER CHANGES SO I CAN DEPEND ON HIS LOVE FOR ALL ETERNITY TO KEEP ME, GUIDE ME AND COMFORT ME. PRAISE THE LORD THAT HE HEARS MY CRIES FOR HELP AND HE ANSWERS ME. HE CATCHES MY TEARS IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND, AND HE INTERCEDES FOR ME IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER. HE COMFORTS ME IN MY DEEPEST TIMES OF DESPAIR AND GIVES ME HOPE WHEN I HAVE NONE. PRAISE HIM WHEN HE REMINDS ME IN HIS WORD HOW HE CREATED ME AND LOVES EVERY PART OF ME. PRAISE HIM FOR SHOWING ME WHAT TRUE LOVE IS AND FOR LETTING ME KNOW AND EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE EVERY DAY. PRAISE HIM FOR GIVING ME THE STRENGTH, LOVE, COMPASSION AND HUMILITY TO COMFORT OTHERS AND SPEAK TO THEM IN THEIR OWN TIMES OF DESPAIR. PRAISE HIM FOR GIVING ME BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST WHO WILL CRY OUT TO HIM ON MY BEHALF WHEN I FEEL TOO WEAK TO DO SO MYSELF. PRAISE HIM THAT HE IS ALWAYS WITH ME AND I NEVER HAVE TO BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED, NOT EVEN TO FAIL. EVEN IF I FAIL TIME AND TIME AGAIN, I PRAISE THE LORD THAT HE NEVER FAILS ME.
Redeemed in the blood of Christ,
Sarah
When we humbly come to Christ and admit our failures (sins) in life, we ask for His forgiveness and He gives us a wonderful promise in scripture:
Romans 8:28 (NKJV):
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."
He promises to work all thing together for good in the lives of those who love Him. This means that even our failures can work for good in our lives. The human mind does not comprehend how that would be possible, but by the Spirit of God, we can gain understanding of what God means. Sometimes, He even allows us to fail so He can bring about good in our lives. I have a hard time wrapping my heart around this scripture sometimes, although I believe all of God's Word is inerrant and true. The practical application of this truth can be difficult at times to accept.
As a little background, I spent most of my life being depressed over failures, both real and imagined. I recently learned through study of God's Word that I also struggle with a fear of failure (both real and imagined) which is called "anxiety." God has revealed this battle to me lately, along with revealing that I am not willing or accepting of failure in my life. I just don't consider failing to be an option. I read an article today from a Christian magazine and it said that this problem I have is there because of pride in my life. I agree, as hard as it may be to admit that.
Today, I was walking home from school with my daughter and the Lord spoke something profoudn to me. This is really silly to some, but real to me....my daughter is having Red Ribbon Week at school and each day they wear a different article of clothing. Well, today, I did "crazy sock day" and it was not that day, but it was "inside out shirt day." So, I sent her in crazy mismatched socks, and her shirt was SUPPOSED to be inside out instead. Most people would think, "oh well," I made a mistake. I started praying over my failure to keep track of my daughter's needs at school. I began to confess all the times recently when I had let someone down, or forgot to do something (which happens all the time), or forgot my daughter's snack for school, or didn't memorize my scriptures...and before I knew it...I was in a deep hole of feeling like a complete failure in daily life. I have struggled with this for a long time. It may not sound like much, but it is very real battle in my life. I want desperately to remember everything, and to be everything to everyone. I have fear of man more than fear of God sometimes. So anyway, this is what the Lord said to me as I was confessing all my failures, and feeling sorry for myself.
He said "Sarah, I know you messed up again. I know you failed, like you have failed in the past, but I LOVE YOU just the way you are. Other people are going to keep track of your failures, but I am just going to love you anyway."
Then I felt a peace come over me, and I knew that the reason He has been allowing me to fail is because He wants me to know that He loves me even through my failures as a wife, friend, mother, follower, and daughter of God. He is going to love me anyway, and He is still going to allow me a place in heaven with Him. As long as I do not turn away from Him and His love, He will always keep showing me how much He loves me, and He will help me through any stumble, fall, failure, or mountain that I have to climb. He is the lover of my soul, and I DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT to earn His love and salvation. He gave it to me for free.
So without saying any more....I just want to GIVE THE LORD SOME PRAISE! PRAISE HIM FOR LOVING ME SO MUCH DESPITE MY FAILURES. HE LOVES ME WHEN I FORGET THINGS, AND HE LOVES ME WHEN I SAY THE WRONG THING, DO THE WRONG THING OR DISAPPOINT MAN TIME AND TIME AGAIN! PRAISE THE LORD THAT HE IS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD WHEN I AM FAITHLESS. PRAISE THE LORD THAT HE NEVER CHANGES SO I CAN DEPEND ON HIS LOVE FOR ALL ETERNITY TO KEEP ME, GUIDE ME AND COMFORT ME. PRAISE THE LORD THAT HE HEARS MY CRIES FOR HELP AND HE ANSWERS ME. HE CATCHES MY TEARS IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND, AND HE INTERCEDES FOR ME IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER. HE COMFORTS ME IN MY DEEPEST TIMES OF DESPAIR AND GIVES ME HOPE WHEN I HAVE NONE. PRAISE HIM WHEN HE REMINDS ME IN HIS WORD HOW HE CREATED ME AND LOVES EVERY PART OF ME. PRAISE HIM FOR SHOWING ME WHAT TRUE LOVE IS AND FOR LETTING ME KNOW AND EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE EVERY DAY. PRAISE HIM FOR GIVING ME THE STRENGTH, LOVE, COMPASSION AND HUMILITY TO COMFORT OTHERS AND SPEAK TO THEM IN THEIR OWN TIMES OF DESPAIR. PRAISE HIM FOR GIVING ME BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST WHO WILL CRY OUT TO HIM ON MY BEHALF WHEN I FEEL TOO WEAK TO DO SO MYSELF. PRAISE HIM THAT HE IS ALWAYS WITH ME AND I NEVER HAVE TO BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED, NOT EVEN TO FAIL. EVEN IF I FAIL TIME AND TIME AGAIN, I PRAISE THE LORD THAT HE NEVER FAILS ME.
Redeemed in the blood of Christ,
Sarah
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Cost of Following Christ
I would like to start by saying that when I gave my life to Christ, I gave up all my dreams and plans. I gave up trying to live life by my ways, and my rules, which had obviously gotten me nowhere. I had struggled mostly all my life with finding the right way to live, and failing time and time again, resulting in heartache and suffering for myself and those around me. The Lord had to break through anger, depression, feelings of worthlessness, anxiety, stubborness and pride (to name a few) to reach the deepest part of my heart, and just show me how much He loves me. I realize now that He longed to be my Lord and Savior from before I was born, but He waited for me to accept Him. He did not force Himself upon me, even though it seemed at times as though others were forcing Him upon me. What I realize is that, all those times I heard His Word, it was really just Him trying to show me His love. I rejected it because I had a heart of stone, as the scripture says we we all do, before He gives us a heart of flesh. I rejected it because I could not believe that God loved me. I had always lived in fear of a God that I didn't know. I couldn't imagine WHY he would have allowed me to get hurt so deeply so many times, and WHY he was not there to rescue me as His Word said he would. I realized that the promises He has are for those who accept Him. When He says He will deliver you from all your troubles, He is speaking to disciples of Christ, not to the unbelievers. The unbelievers will constantly face troubles without peace until they receive Christ. They will fear death, and disease, financial crisis, and suffer emotional heartbreaks, barrenness, and many of the other judgments of God upon those who turn away from His love and salvation through the death of His own Son, Jesus. They will be gripped in fear of the unknown. They will live each day only to satisfy themselves, convincing themselves that they are really just "good people." God has something different to say. People are not good, they are born into sin, and they are wicked from birth. Your good works outside of Christ are as "filthy rags." Do not be deceived, God knows which side of the fence of salvation you stand on. I may not know, but He does, and if you are not on His side....you will be judged and damned to hell, no matter how "good" you are. None are righteous outside of receiving the free gift of grace in salvation through Jesus Christ. The best any of us can do to help you is to speak God's Word into your life, and allow the Holy Spirit to soften your heart to His love and message of the gospel. No person can save you, that power remains in God alone. And He will not save you unless you repent (turn away from) your sinful living, and accept His forgiveness, and ask Him to make you a new creation in Christ.
Once you do this, you are no longer the person or creation you were before. You are regenerated and given a new heart by the Holy Spirit, and God comes to dwell inside of you. You are given new purpose, direction, and guidance by the Holy Spirit. The sins you committed before are washed away in the blood of Jesus. The scripture says that we were crimson, but when washed in the blood of the Lamb, we become white as snow before God. We are justified, and then the process of sanctification begins. God begins to purify and refine out our old habits, desires, and sinful nature. He convicts us of our sin from inside through hearing His Word. He tests us (does not tempt us), and our faith through fiery trials. He begins to "refine us as silver" in the fire. Then, he leads us into eternal life with him, and abundant life here on earth.
Is this process easy? No. Is this process painless? No. Does it mean we have to deny ourselves and live by Christ's ways and for His purposes alone? Yes. That can mean doing things that are against the former nature of who we were. It means following and trusting God's voice to lead us into all truth. It means praying and doing things that are not of our own will. This is the cost of being a disciple of Christ. Those around Jesus hated Him, and He told his followers that the world would hate them also. He told us that we would be persecuted, reproached, harmed and killed for our faith in Him, and our obedience to His will. He told us that if we lose our life for His sake, we will gain it, but if we keep our life for our sake, we will lose it. I would rather gain eternal life and rewards, and lead others to eternal salvation in Christ than to worry about comfort in this life. God said that followers who are persecuted for His name's sake are blessed.
God shared a thought with me yesterday as I was driving. Let me share what He told me:
He said to think about the inside of an airplane. I have flown many times, so this analogy is very real to me. He reminded me about how the flight attendant will mention before taking off that in case of emergency, and total darkness (smoke) in the plane, little lights will make a path to the EXIT. I have never been in an emergency situation on a flight, but I imagine that those lights are NOT that bright. They are just a little path of lights leading to the place where my life can be saved by exiting a crashed plane! God told me that I, and His Word, are those little lights. People are panicking and living in complete darkness in a plane that is crashed and burning. That is the world we live in! Dark and getting darker by the day. In the event of this plane crash, people would trust those little lights to lead them to salvation, but in the world, people would rather stay in the dark and burning crashed plane than to trust those little lights. Even worse, those who would be led by the little lights to salvation would rather smash them out, break them, and curse at them than to believe that they know the way to the EXIT, and the brightness and safety of being outside of the burning plane! In the case of a burning, crashed plane, we would all believe the lights and rush to get outside! But in life, we do not see bright, flashing lights, nor believe they know the path to salvation.
Those of us that have accepted salvation and the call on our lives in Christ know that it is our job and our reasonable service to light the path for others. Christ has shown in scripture that we are going to be painfully reproached, persecuted, mocked and even killed for this purpose, but we love others enough (with the love of God) to continue to light the way, despite the cost. We are no longer afraid of losing our own lives, but more burdened in our hearts that others will never see the Light in Jesus, and have hope and peace of eternal life in Him. It is out of this love that we continue to speak boldly the truth about salvation in Jesus Christ, and we refuse to relent, even when we are put to shame by the world. Day after day, that means spending time in prayer and studying God's Word to gain strength, and to be comforted...but most of all to find out the will of God, and to do it, so that God's plan for salvation of others can be fulfilled. If we refuse to agree to His plan, we are writing off many to hell that God could have saved through obeying God's will.
When I first came to Christ, God asked me to surrender my life completely to Him. I did, and He baptized me in water and in His Holy Spirit. He filled me with love and strength I had never known before. When He asked me to surrender my will to His, He asked me if loved my family more than Him. He asked me to give my children (the gifts He gave me) back to Him for His service. I did. He asked me to give my husband (another gift) back to Him, and I did. I told Him there was nothing I had that wasn't His, and He could use any of it any way He chooses. Has He asked me to make very difficult decisions of obedience since that day? YES! They have been very hard at times, but He encourages me through His Word and through my brothers and sisters in Christ to continue forward in my walk with Him. I have held my son in my arms while he is having a seizure and prayed to God to heal Him, but I have had to wait for God to heal him in his time, despite seeing others be healed when God told me to lay hands on them. I have seen Him do wonders in creating love and obedience in my daughter, and I have had to forgive things that I previously thought were unforgivable in my relationships with others. I have had to make peace with others when I wanted to curse them. I have prayed for my enemies, and still pray for salvation for those who abused me and have hurt me the worst in life. So...I prayed for my husband to go to Iraq, because God spoke to my heart to do so. I was not doing it because of the money or my own desires, I was bowing down to my Lord, and honoring His will above my own.
I have already surrendered my husband to the Lord, if He wants to use Him or take Him, I have to agree and even ask for Him to do so. I would pray every day if he were gone that the Lord would protect him from harm while He completes His work in him, and that He would bring him safely home to our family. But if were the Lord's plan for him to die in combat, then I would be proud and honored by my husband's service to his country, God, his family, and those who were affected by the Lord's Presence and gospel message in his life. It would be selfish for me to pray to keep him with me...and I will not pray against what I believe in my heart to be God's will.
I want the world to know that I love my husband dearly, and I thank God every day for the work and growth I have seen in Him, and in our marriage! I praise God that He has healed us both from past hurts, and has allowed us to grow deeper together than we ever have been before! He has blessed our family financially, although we still need His help to achieve the goal He has given us of being debt-free. He has shown us what a bondage to money we have in being in debt, and He is going to free us from that burden, but that is not why He would take my husband away from his family. It is merely a blessing of obedience to His will. I have been praying for salvation for those I love for the past year. I have followed every command that I know to give every effort I can to the hope that they will someday come to know my wonderful Lord Jesus and receive eternal salvation in Him. I love them all, including both sides our family, more than they could ever know or imagine. I would give my own life for them in a heartbeat, if it meant them knowing Christ, knowing the love of God and having peace for all eternity, as I have already experienced in my own life. To live life daily in perfect peace is something I had never thought possible with the troubles and problems of daily life in the world....but I assure you, it is not only a hope but a promise and a reality for those who live in Christ.
Instead of posting the scriptures for today, I just wanted to share my heart with you all. I love you all dearly, those of you I know are reading, and those I don't know. I praise God that He is using this blog to change the hearts of man, and encourage those who are already in Him. It warms my heart (and I am sure God's) to receive comments about how this blog is speaking to someone's heart, and helping them to know God better. The vast majority of responses (99%) have been positive and encouraging. I pray right now that God would soften the hearts of those reading this, and encourage them to seek His salvation and His will. I pray that God would forgive all who have reproached Him through me, and have mercy upon them, for they know not what they do. Lord, give them the truth and knowledge of you, so they may know that You are the Lord God Almighty, and our Beautiful Savior. I pray that you would bless those who curse me and my family, and lead them in the way of Truth. I praise you that you work all things together for good for those who love you and are called according to your purpose. May we all sing your praises today, for there is none worthy but You, O Lord. Bless my husband as He works today, and give us peace and patience as we await your decision about his deployment. Extend your peace to our families as well, as they also must live with your decision, show their hearts that You know best, and Your thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Bless his mother and father in the name of Jesus. Bless my family for surrendering their desire to keep us near to them, as they understand that You will take us where you desire for us to go. I pray in Your precious and holy name, Jesus. Amen.
Seeking His will,
Sarah
Once you do this, you are no longer the person or creation you were before. You are regenerated and given a new heart by the Holy Spirit, and God comes to dwell inside of you. You are given new purpose, direction, and guidance by the Holy Spirit. The sins you committed before are washed away in the blood of Jesus. The scripture says that we were crimson, but when washed in the blood of the Lamb, we become white as snow before God. We are justified, and then the process of sanctification begins. God begins to purify and refine out our old habits, desires, and sinful nature. He convicts us of our sin from inside through hearing His Word. He tests us (does not tempt us), and our faith through fiery trials. He begins to "refine us as silver" in the fire. Then, he leads us into eternal life with him, and abundant life here on earth.
Is this process easy? No. Is this process painless? No. Does it mean we have to deny ourselves and live by Christ's ways and for His purposes alone? Yes. That can mean doing things that are against the former nature of who we were. It means following and trusting God's voice to lead us into all truth. It means praying and doing things that are not of our own will. This is the cost of being a disciple of Christ. Those around Jesus hated Him, and He told his followers that the world would hate them also. He told us that we would be persecuted, reproached, harmed and killed for our faith in Him, and our obedience to His will. He told us that if we lose our life for His sake, we will gain it, but if we keep our life for our sake, we will lose it. I would rather gain eternal life and rewards, and lead others to eternal salvation in Christ than to worry about comfort in this life. God said that followers who are persecuted for His name's sake are blessed.
God shared a thought with me yesterday as I was driving. Let me share what He told me:
He said to think about the inside of an airplane. I have flown many times, so this analogy is very real to me. He reminded me about how the flight attendant will mention before taking off that in case of emergency, and total darkness (smoke) in the plane, little lights will make a path to the EXIT. I have never been in an emergency situation on a flight, but I imagine that those lights are NOT that bright. They are just a little path of lights leading to the place where my life can be saved by exiting a crashed plane! God told me that I, and His Word, are those little lights. People are panicking and living in complete darkness in a plane that is crashed and burning. That is the world we live in! Dark and getting darker by the day. In the event of this plane crash, people would trust those little lights to lead them to salvation, but in the world, people would rather stay in the dark and burning crashed plane than to trust those little lights. Even worse, those who would be led by the little lights to salvation would rather smash them out, break them, and curse at them than to believe that they know the way to the EXIT, and the brightness and safety of being outside of the burning plane! In the case of a burning, crashed plane, we would all believe the lights and rush to get outside! But in life, we do not see bright, flashing lights, nor believe they know the path to salvation.
Those of us that have accepted salvation and the call on our lives in Christ know that it is our job and our reasonable service to light the path for others. Christ has shown in scripture that we are going to be painfully reproached, persecuted, mocked and even killed for this purpose, but we love others enough (with the love of God) to continue to light the way, despite the cost. We are no longer afraid of losing our own lives, but more burdened in our hearts that others will never see the Light in Jesus, and have hope and peace of eternal life in Him. It is out of this love that we continue to speak boldly the truth about salvation in Jesus Christ, and we refuse to relent, even when we are put to shame by the world. Day after day, that means spending time in prayer and studying God's Word to gain strength, and to be comforted...but most of all to find out the will of God, and to do it, so that God's plan for salvation of others can be fulfilled. If we refuse to agree to His plan, we are writing off many to hell that God could have saved through obeying God's will.
When I first came to Christ, God asked me to surrender my life completely to Him. I did, and He baptized me in water and in His Holy Spirit. He filled me with love and strength I had never known before. When He asked me to surrender my will to His, He asked me if loved my family more than Him. He asked me to give my children (the gifts He gave me) back to Him for His service. I did. He asked me to give my husband (another gift) back to Him, and I did. I told Him there was nothing I had that wasn't His, and He could use any of it any way He chooses. Has He asked me to make very difficult decisions of obedience since that day? YES! They have been very hard at times, but He encourages me through His Word and through my brothers and sisters in Christ to continue forward in my walk with Him. I have held my son in my arms while he is having a seizure and prayed to God to heal Him, but I have had to wait for God to heal him in his time, despite seeing others be healed when God told me to lay hands on them. I have seen Him do wonders in creating love and obedience in my daughter, and I have had to forgive things that I previously thought were unforgivable in my relationships with others. I have had to make peace with others when I wanted to curse them. I have prayed for my enemies, and still pray for salvation for those who abused me and have hurt me the worst in life. So...I prayed for my husband to go to Iraq, because God spoke to my heart to do so. I was not doing it because of the money or my own desires, I was bowing down to my Lord, and honoring His will above my own.
I have already surrendered my husband to the Lord, if He wants to use Him or take Him, I have to agree and even ask for Him to do so. I would pray every day if he were gone that the Lord would protect him from harm while He completes His work in him, and that He would bring him safely home to our family. But if were the Lord's plan for him to die in combat, then I would be proud and honored by my husband's service to his country, God, his family, and those who were affected by the Lord's Presence and gospel message in his life. It would be selfish for me to pray to keep him with me...and I will not pray against what I believe in my heart to be God's will.
I want the world to know that I love my husband dearly, and I thank God every day for the work and growth I have seen in Him, and in our marriage! I praise God that He has healed us both from past hurts, and has allowed us to grow deeper together than we ever have been before! He has blessed our family financially, although we still need His help to achieve the goal He has given us of being debt-free. He has shown us what a bondage to money we have in being in debt, and He is going to free us from that burden, but that is not why He would take my husband away from his family. It is merely a blessing of obedience to His will. I have been praying for salvation for those I love for the past year. I have followed every command that I know to give every effort I can to the hope that they will someday come to know my wonderful Lord Jesus and receive eternal salvation in Him. I love them all, including both sides our family, more than they could ever know or imagine. I would give my own life for them in a heartbeat, if it meant them knowing Christ, knowing the love of God and having peace for all eternity, as I have already experienced in my own life. To live life daily in perfect peace is something I had never thought possible with the troubles and problems of daily life in the world....but I assure you, it is not only a hope but a promise and a reality for those who live in Christ.
Instead of posting the scriptures for today, I just wanted to share my heart with you all. I love you all dearly, those of you I know are reading, and those I don't know. I praise God that He is using this blog to change the hearts of man, and encourage those who are already in Him. It warms my heart (and I am sure God's) to receive comments about how this blog is speaking to someone's heart, and helping them to know God better. The vast majority of responses (99%) have been positive and encouraging. I pray right now that God would soften the hearts of those reading this, and encourage them to seek His salvation and His will. I pray that God would forgive all who have reproached Him through me, and have mercy upon them, for they know not what they do. Lord, give them the truth and knowledge of you, so they may know that You are the Lord God Almighty, and our Beautiful Savior. I pray that you would bless those who curse me and my family, and lead them in the way of Truth. I praise you that you work all things together for good for those who love you and are called according to your purpose. May we all sing your praises today, for there is none worthy but You, O Lord. Bless my husband as He works today, and give us peace and patience as we await your decision about his deployment. Extend your peace to our families as well, as they also must live with your decision, show their hearts that You know best, and Your thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Bless his mother and father in the name of Jesus. Bless my family for surrendering their desire to keep us near to them, as they understand that You will take us where you desire for us to go. I pray in Your precious and holy name, Jesus. Amen.
Seeking His will,
Sarah
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