“The Lord is trustworthy. Whatever His plan for you, be assured He will see you safely through.” – Charles F. Stanley
Welcome to day 1 of 3 posts I will be dedicating to Mr. Stanley.
Today I wanted to talk about running this race called life.
Depending on the day, it can feel really defeating to keep going with endurance. I’m sure a time or two you have felt the same way.
“There’s something comforting about knowing that men and women have finished their races well for centries – it gives me faith that I can too.”
Trillia Newbell
What I love about Dr. Stanley is that he always pointed us to Christ, always. If Christ wasn’t your focus, you needed to get refocused. A lot of the time I noticed when we become unfocused we loose sight of who God is. Then we fall into fears, doubts, and lies. This is a tactic of the enemy but this is also the weakness of the flesh. Which is exactly Mr. Stanley’s point. Without Christ, this race will be more exhausting than how it already feels. Below are some truth’s that he wanted us all to hear:
As you see, looking back on those who have gone before us can push us with further endurance. We can look back on Dr. Stanley, David, Noah, and more who have also anticipated God’s aid, armor, and assistance. Sometimes like David we cry out, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? (see Psalm 13:1), but no matter what it is you are hoping for or struggling with, God will always look out for our good. Even though at times it may feel we are alone, there are people all around the world awaiting for similar blessings and also feel disheartened. Through wisdom he says it best, “In fact, throughout Scripture, there’s not a man or woman whom God used in a powerful way who didn’t first face a long and difficult time of waiting. So don’t despair… take it as the Father’s special favor and guidance in your life.”
“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” (Isaiah 64:4, KJV)
“No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.” (Revelation 22:3, NLT)
I’ve thought of the Revelation 22:3 verse before and I pondered on the fact there will be no curse. It says there will be no curse on anything. Which goes to show that this curse is not just on mankind but it is intertwined through most things on this earth. Which is why even creation groans for the new to come. Even creation anticipates God’s promises (Romans 8:22). Also thinking about that this sin caused a curse… makes you realise a lot of the things that trouble us or upset us are not only temporal but are they even really a reality or truth? When you think of someone putting a curse on something its a spiritual thing for sure. An invisible action that caused a physical change. It reminds me when God says in the future He will bring the people a strong delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:11) and they will believe a lie. This sounds like a curse no? Curses are more common that we perceive. Yet when we will be present at the throne of God and of the Lamb it will no longer exist. What a breath of fresh air that will be in itself.
“Hope, in the biblical sense, means certainty and assurance. It is the firm, unshakable, indomitable belief that we will be raised from the dead (as Jesus was) and will be welcomed into out eternal home. That’s enough to put joy in our heart and a spring in our step this day!”
David Roper from Our Daily Bread
“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.” (Romans 8:23, NLT)
So we have an amazing hope! Hope is defined for us in Romans 8:25. Hope is looking forward to something we don’t have yet, and because we don’t have it yet, we must wait patiently and confidently. Although, do we do this? Do we wait for our hopes in this fashion? I don’t really think we do. We moan, we get tired, and we complain. A few days ago, a friend Hannah and I pondered a thought, “Once we’re in heaven, we’ll wonder why we weren’t even more excited about going there.” I think that’s why God often commands us to be joyful in hope. It often seems hard to celebrate, but when we focus on eternity on high versus temporal down low, it will become a good habit to exhibit.
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2, KJV)
God says it best in His Word,
“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.” (Colossians 3:3-6).
I encourage you all to read and pray over this chapter of Colossians. May God bless you and grant you His peace, mercy, and love.
“Let the heartbeat of your Bible reading be this simple prayer: ‘LORD, move this from my head to my heart.” – John Piper
Today let us examine our relationships. Which ones? All of them.
Your relationship with God should be first in your life. If this is not the case for you, then this is one area in your life you must cater to first and foremost. Next, if you have a spouse, you and them have become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Thus because of this your relationship should also be of importance to you. It should be second on your list. Your parents, your imitate family (if they are in your life) should also be an aspect within your life that you can lean in toward. After all the command, “Honor your fatherand your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12, ESV), still applies (Matthew 10:37, Matthew 15:4, & Matthew 19:19). Then everyone else accordingly. (Friends Proverbs 17:17, Bosses/Coworkers 1 Peter 2:18, Matthew 5:16, Colossians 3:22, the government(s) 1 Peter 2:18…..so on and so forth).
These are just some logistics before I begin, but this is not necessarily all we will cover.
Today, I would like to go over relationships as a whole. Meaning, this is something we should be doing in all of our relationships, no matter which one it is.
This ‘something’ is honesty.
“You have no idea the numbers of people that God may want to influence through you.” – Andy Stanley
Honesty is important in every single relationship. When you are not honest with someone, you are even lying to yourself. In reality, it is also relevant to note that when you are not being honest with yourself or the people around you, you are not walking in accordance to the spirit. Walking in step with the spirit means that our hearts and thoughts are aligned with the Father (Galatians 5:25). Honesty gives us a clear conscience.
“Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.”
Proverbs 24:26, ESV
Being an honest person means you are being your truest self. Those who are free in Christ are free indeed (John 8:36). If you feel you cannot be honest with the people around you, then you really need to reevaluate who it is you are allowing yourself to be affected by. There are so many questions we could ask ourselves to get us back on track, but the key thing is that we must fix our faults as soon as we recognize them. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get to the solution. Please, allow me to explain.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12, BSB)
As we spoke about in reading, “Sometimes“, we learned that the tough times we go through in this life are no exception to the Body of Christ. IF you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior your life has become new in Him, but that doesn’t mean that everything is picture perfect. Despite now being a child of God, we are still temporally living in the world, but just because we are in the world, doesn’t mean we should respond the way the ones of the world do.
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.“
Galatians 5:16-18, NIV
Whether we are being honest or facing honesty, sometimes this can be a hard thing to handle. Sometimes we don’t want to face what is in front of us, but I encourage you today to fight against that. Stop running away from your problems and instead try tackling them and work through them.
By doing this and applying it to your life, you will be walking according to the spirit and will of God.
It might not be easy but that is okay. It may be a fight but it is a fight worth fighting for.
Our spirit is consistently fighting against our flesh, but it is up to us to reason it out (see Isaiah 1:18).
“Learn to do right” (Isaiah 1:17, BSB).
One last thing before you go.
To be honest, is showing you love the one you are being honest with. Is it not?
Thank you for reading. To read more on friendships please click here to read.
If this helped you and blessed you, I pray you will also take the time to be in the Word of God. 1 Peter Chapter 2 maybe! 😊
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” – Psalms 91:1, NKJV
I felt led to share my thoughts that I had written down from my devotional. I pray it is helpful.
We tend to get so caught up in trying to be Biblically correct, (which can be good), that we miss the ‘mark’ or ‘point’ sometimes. Knowing all the information that we are feeding ourselves, doesn’t necessarily always give us the fulfillment we need.
God’s mystery makes us thirst for more. Which I feel He desires. He wants this relationship between us to be equally sought out and genuine.
When we feel like we aren’t as close to Him, we can look at all that He has created. The miracle of life and the very intricate design of each single creation. Thinking to ourselves, were can I find God’s hand here?
“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” – Jeremiah 31:3, NKJV
“I love you.”, He says. He loves us.
I also think we get too caught up in what everyone else says about God or what everyone else says in general. When we should be seeking our own individual intimate time.
The internet can be a good resource, but it can also turn into a bad habit. With all things, balance is needed. When we fill ourselves up with His Word and Presence, effectively, with no distractions, we can have His truths. We can affirm for sure what He directly wants us to know.
“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7, ESV
The above verse goes well with today. He wants to hear everything little thing we have to say. Bottling it all up is no good, for either of us, (God or ourselves), and this is how we get renewed. This is where He can tell us His way versus our own.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;”- Psalms 139:23, NKJV
Embrace God’s mystery and wonder. It’s okay not to completely know. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34, ESV)
“For we were never made to ponder big questions on our own. We are made to share our thoughts, our questions, our confusions, our frustrations―and ponder them with Him and allow Him to teach and father us into greater understanding.”
From rush via Gather Ministries- “Healing The Hurt”, Renew Your Mindset
Allow God to be God. Allow yourself to be still with Him.
Not just for 10 minutes either. Our relationship with Him matters. It truly does. More than we know.
Did you know that trusting in our Heavenly Father and seeking His Word is healthy not only for our spirits and minds, but for even the bones of our flesh? (see Proverbs 3:8)
Isaiah 55:10-11 shares that God means what He says. When we spend time meditating on what He is saying to us, it is important not to just filter it through and store it as information. His Words bring truth. His Words bring meaning. His Words produce life.
“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 66:13, ESV)
For todays post, I will be speaking on somethings that have crossed my mind and things I have personally noticed recently.
With the help of Father God, He has brought some scripture to my thoughts and perhaps some explanation/encouragement to anyone else who has felt or seen the same circumstances.
I am not sure if this is the same for any of you, but I have noticed the the enemy has been at work. As you might know the enemy often lurks (see Psalms 17:12, and 1 Peter 5:8).
From the example in 1 Peter 5:8 above, it states that we are to be vigilant.
Although, as much as we would all love to think that we are being vigilant, it is so so so easy to get distracted or easily angered in today’s world.
Prophecy is jumping right off the pages of the Bible as we know it, and somethings that were masked in the dark are now coming to light, as God said that they would (Luke 8:17).
Thus, since all of this is occurring, and the media is making all that darkness the wicked has tried to keep hidden for so long come into the spotlight, this can be extremely stressful. We are now not only aching between the spirit and the flesh of ourselves (Galatians 5:17), but we are also crying out for the entire body, for the entire world!
“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
1 Corinthians 12:26
Most of the things that are creeping through the cracks, are making a lot of us uneasy. There is so much to pray for, isn’t there?
Everything from: pandemics, shut downs, restrictions, depression, anxiety, fear, chaos, destruction, wars, rumors of wars, protests, extreme weather occurrences, political election season, and disgusting/disturbing news that sickens me that any one would be evil enough to partake in. (Please pray for all victims. Adult and children alike. #SaveTheChildren)
Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
This all may be too much to handle at times. This may be something we want to shut out, ignore, or cry out about, BUT I am here to tell you it is time.
“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)
As God’s chosen and cherished, we should be confident in the battlefield (see Ephesians 6:12).
We should also be standing up and being confident in the Word of God.
Hebrews 10:35 states, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.”Here it is expressing don’t throw away your confidence. I have seen this happen a lot, and quite frankly even with myself before. Don’t allow this to be taken from you! The gift of having a relationship with Christ has been given to you freely, so have confidence in this! Have confidence in Him! For with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).
1 Peter 4:16 says, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”This piece of scripture can speak volumes if you meditate on it a bit. We are being told not to be ashamed<—- & with not being ashamed, comes *confidence*. Although there may be suffering within this current life, we still must use this confidence we claim to glorify God! By doing this we are being an example for those of the world. For those who don’t have a relationship with Father Adonai yet. Look at your surroundings and think about all that He has done for you personally. Focus on Him and remember how far you have come. Who was the One who was truly by your side the entire road, even when you did not recognize it? Just because there is a big mountain in the way does not mean it will not be moved. It does not mean the current is permanent.
“For I am the LORD, I do not change;”
(Malachi 3:6)
God on the other hand, does not change. He is our stable rock (Psalms 95:15) and therefore we can always trust Him. He is the Helper and Shield that we NEED during these times.
There are so many messages right now that someone or something doesn’t want out. You can see all over the internet that people are complaining about such.
These are strange times we are living in, do you not perceive it? (*SEE Matthew 16:3)
“If I lost everything, but still had God, that would be enough to start over again”. @Spiritualmedit1
So, what are some key take-aways that God would like us to know?
- Now is the time to remember who you are in Him.
- One huge thing you should learn from this is that Jesus was an example onto us, and so since we are continuously learning from Him, we too need to be showing everyone Him through us. For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:29).
- Do so with grace, yet also with confidence because this reveals the authority that God has, because He is still in control.
- Put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
- Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. (Psalms 20:7)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)
Amen.
El Roi, "the God who sees me" (Genesis 16:14).
P.S.
If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior I promise to you, now is the time. I encourage you to take a look at the Book of John Chapter 17 and read verses 1-5. I pray over you, that God will open your eyes. The chains of sin and doubt have been broken. Being a 'good' person will not give you a ticket into everlasting life after this one. NO ONE is good but the Father only. (Mark 10:18) Only God knows your last breath and the last hour. Whatever is stopping you from believing, whatever is stopping you from thinking He is not loving you, can stop today. You did not lead yourself here, it is HE who is drawing your spirit with His lovingkindness wishing for you to seek Him. All it takes is a mustard seed size amount of faith. What do you say? Jesus is at the door. Will you answer?
Love Never Fails 