Still Growing

Hello there!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Hannah. Sky is a very dear, close friend of mine and she has so generously invited me to be a co-blogger along with her here on Love Never Fails. To begin,  allow me to tell you a little about myself. I’m a Kansas girl, born and raised in Wichita. I’m from a family of seven, my parents, my four brothers, and myself. I am 28 years old. I was born into a Christian household, I have known about Jesus my whole life, but I didn’t really come to know Him for myself until I was a teenager. I love Him with all my heart and I pray that my love for Him will continue to grow over the course of my life. And I pray that your love for Him will also continue to grow. If you don’t know Him or love Him, I again pray that you will come to know Him and love Him shortly.

Actually, today I would like to speak about growth, and I want to do that by mentioning a familiar name, Moses.


“Moses grew and became a man. One day he visited his people, the Hebrews. He saw…”
(Exodus 2:11), besides being a part of the great account of God delivering Israel out of bondage from Egypt, it gives us some glimpses into the character of Moses, the meaning of maturing and the little miracles that play into the big ones. Hence, “Moses grew…” It’s almost ironic, but Moses did not come out of the womb, nor was he drawn out of the river, equipped to fulfill God’s plan for him. Moses grew. That is probably the best thing that can be said about any of us – not that we have become – but that we are continually becoming. Growth is a sign of life, and if Jesus said that He came that we might have it, then it must be a good thing.

Moses’ growth did not happen as we might think: after becoming a man, he would still experience  anger, worry, fear, and all those things we’d rather outgrow and not feel anymore. These flaws, these sins, along the way make it difficult to measure growth, and that difficulty makes it tempting to give up. But to give up – to refuse to grow – is to perish in a way. “…and became a man. One day he visited his people…” The mature person is one who is ready to see themselves in a context bigger than themselves. Many of us believe that we need to find ourselves – a notion that may be true in a limited sort of way. Many of us think that we must define or invent ourselves – possibly equally true but in an even more limited way. When Moses visited his people he was beginning to accept himself, not as the Egyptian prince he once was, but as the heir to something far greater than a crown made by human hands. He was beginning to accept himself as being a part of a people, a “chosen people” (1 Peter 2:9). The identity given to him by the palace could never give him what someone truly needs – a sense of who we are. Only God can do that. Only our Heavenly Father could ever give us a true identity and purpose.

“He saw…” When Moses saw, he had come to a place where he was able to set aside his own constructed world and enter into the one that existed independently of his plans for himself. What he saw in Egypt would be stretched by what he would come to see in Midian, but here was the beginning of what would end with his view of the promised land. He reached that place where God wanted him.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9

I want to tell you something that Sky, my now fellow blogger and best friend, once told me. It is related to this example of Moses. She said, “Imagine your heart within you having roots. It is within that secret place of the heart where God is. We need to make sure our roots are growing deeply into Him and His Word. We need to be deeply rooted in Him and make sure there is nothing that is weakening our root system.” Moses became deeply rooted in the Lord over time. Everything God did in his life went hand in hand. Also, just as everything in scripture goes hand in hand, so they do in our lives as well today.

God is doing good things, amazing things! Do you see this? We are temples of a Being far greater than ourselves, temples being brought to life. Though we may not understand the process, our Builder does. We are His workmanship and the place where He lives. I have no doubt that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Therefore, I encourage you, to keep on growing. Though you – like Moses, myself , and everyone for that matter – have flaws. It’s okay to have flaws. If we didn’t have any flaws, then we wouldn’t need to grow. But we do. I hope that you will learn that you are a part of a chosen people, and I also hope you recognize that the Lord is indeed good, and that He loves you. Thank you for reading. God bless you!

Much love in Christ,

Hannah

Old Friends, New Life

“In the quiet of an early morning, honesty finds me. It calls to me through a crack in my soul and invites the real me to come out.”-Lysa TerKeurst from Uninvited

Have you ever lost someone extremely close to you? That go-to person when you felt down, or even when you have something exciting to tell? Someone who you expected to be there forever, yet they seemed to have left in a mere moment. Things like this happen far more often than we realize. We don’t recognize that fact until it actually happens to us personally.

Today, in the quiet of the early morning, in the silence of the beginning of my day, God came through. An old friend of mine resurfaced to my mind. It has been a few years now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think of them and wish them the best. It doesn’t mean that the memory of them has disappeared and all our times together have become a distant reminiscence. & just as she was gone in an instant, God stretched out His hand and held on to me just as fast.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.-Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)

Our friendship lasted about 8 years. We often joked that a friendship that has made it to 7 will last a lifetime. I used to think that the moment it reached that, the enemy swarmed in and took my friend away. Maybe he did, because based on the circumstances it sure seemed it. Not only did our relationship vaporize, but the person within the relationship was too. One moment my strength, best friend, love, cheerleader, and more. To angry, misunderstanding, misinterpreting, stubborn, inattentive, the next.

When the Word says, “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (or morals/character depending on the translation you are using), from 1 Corinthians 15:33, it is not kidding. Now, I am all for making new friends and being a light for everyone to see/feel, but in this instance when this person met another in particular, things shifted pretty quickly. New interests started to arise, new habits, and even new speech/attitudes.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not here to talk down on anyone. I am simply giving some background to one piece of my story.

I many times asked why. I frequently blamed myself, even though it wasn’t entirely my fault. Too many times to count, I wanted to run back to that old friend. I wanted to push myself onto them and force them to love me again in return. Yet the Holy Spirit within me was gently telling me to let go.

“whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

James 4:14, NKJV

Once I was truly able to, God began to teach me many things. He even brought new people into my life and showed me how to look at life through His lenses. Here are some of those things, to perhaps help you as well:

  • Not only is life a vapor, here now then gone the next, friendships/relationships can be at times too.
  • God sees what we do not see. He also hears what we do not hear. Therefore, this person in my life must have no longer been fitting for the new season God was putting me in.
  • Although the friendship has come to an end, and that person may have some remorse or bitterness against you, pray for them anyway.
  • God is in control.
  • “Instead of relying on your friend, rely on Me.” -God
  • God should be our go-to person. The One we tell our hearts desires, pains and aches, exciting moments, breaking moments, and more.

Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalms 55:22, NKJV)

So, how did God meet me in this morning? I invited Him in and He joined me.

(see-Psalms 91:1; Psalms23:3; Psalms 5:3)

Hear the whisper of the Lord, “When I remove you from something or someone you treasure, it’s healthy to grieve your loss. It is also important to draw closer to Me during this time. Cling to Me, beloved, for your relationship with Me will never be taken away from you.”

Wow, am I right?

Like I mentioned in my post, Repentance, God is a God of new.

“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:19, NKJV

Now being a child of God, when I think of rivers I imagine refreshment. I imagine cleanliness. Smoothness. Purity.

This morning when I came to God, I came with full intention to surrender myself as I was. I came to begin my day with Him. This week for myself has become a mission. A mission to fulfill the longing within my heart. & when I did this He pointed out something within myself I had hidden away. Something I pretended not to notice, He brought to light. To reveal that just like that moment from the past, He is bringing something new to the table.

I am so thankful that God has shown me this. That I can now recognize when something new is going to occur, and I can wait expectantly in return.

“Sometimes God stays silent until we’re ready to listen.”

Hebrews 13:15 MEV

Through Him, then, let us continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Repentance

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord: Make His paths straight’.”- John the Baptist

Repent.

This is the word the Lord has given me. It must be important to Him, therefore it has become important to me.

What does it mean to repent? The term metanoia is a Greek translation which means change in ones ways, or change of heart.

Do we have to repent? The answer is in the Word of God:

but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

Jesus Christ ; Luke 13:3
“If you see one hurrying on to destruction, use the utmost of your endeavor to stop him in his course.” -A.W. Tozer

It is clear that repentance is a necessity.

Within the book of Luke it describes in further detail of these necessities:

“thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations (Luke 24:46-47)

To become a born again believer, to be saved by His stripes, our end is much more simple than the cross that Jesus bore for us.

You may be familiar with the ABC’s:

A– Admit you are a sinner, in need of saving.

B– Believe and trust in Jesus Christ.

C– Call on the name of the Lord.


Romans 10:13 (KJV), For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.


All of this is good to do. Although I believe emphasizing on repentance and what it is makes it all more worth wild.

Jesus doesn’t just want you to say what people want you to say or read off pages of any book and be done with it.

He desires you to do more than that. He desires not only your words but He desires truth behind the words you are saying to him.

He wants to be able to change your heart, but He cannot do this unless you truly repent with your ~ H e a r t. You have to mean what you say.

“There must be true and deep conviction of sin. This the preacher must labor to produce, for where this is not felt, the new birth has not taken place.”- Charles Spurgeon

Who can be saved?

ALL who call on the Lord. Even you if you are here reading this and you haven’t confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, yet.

Even the one’s who crucified Jesus were told, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

& this is a Promise that God will not break.

Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness.

Acts 17:30-31, NKJV

Read the above passage from Acts carefully. For so long, God has overlooked the ignorance of the people. For so long, people have even claimed that the wicked will just continue on without repercussion. God on the other hand, has a different plan than what was assumed. He will not overlook forever. The world will be judged, and that time is coming.

He has commanded us to repent.

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21, NKJV)

If you love your Father in heaven, you will return to your first love, and obey His requests.

(See: Revelation 2:4|Mark12:30|Matthew 6:24|Psalms37:27)


Pastor Tim Dilena from Times Square Church made a good point from II Chronicles 7:14, it’s not just about coming to God and talking the talk. It’s more than just doing the first part of what it says, but doing what the ENTIRE verse says. The part that many overlook: “turn from their wicked ways“.

You must be willing to surrender. “then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land“. Are we a perfect people? No. God is working through us everyday.

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

BUT that does not give us the excuse to not try.

Jesus is the only one who can blot out your sins. Jesus is the only one who can make you new.

Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Acts 3:21, NKJV

God is a God of new. Restoration is His goal. To restore something or someone, One must fix or repair. Although, God cannot do this for you if you do not come to Him and look at the reflection of yourself that you face everyday. His other goal? To reestablish His kingdom and throne.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Why not turn that fear into hope?

Repent today.

Verses to consider on your own time:

  • Exodus 20:6
  • Deuteronomy 5:10
  • James 1:12
  • Revelation 2:5
  • Romans 8:28
Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. (Ephesians 6:24, NKJV)