Christ Will Rescue You: June 2020

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

His Love Cannot Fail

“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
Ephesians 4:15(NLT)

Why do the same situations keep happening in my life – I thought I learned my lesson. I feel like I’m in Kindergarten when I should be at the level of a PhD.

Just when you think you have gotten a clear understanding of what it means to walk in faith, something happens in your life that signals it’s possible your faith has weakened. You become bold in asking those painful questions of God, “Father, where are you in this?” If you’ve asked God this question, you’re not alone. Many of us struggle with whether our faith needs to be tweaked and elevated. The Apostle Paul said in 2Corinthians 13:5 that our due diligence should be to continually examine ourselves to see if our faith is genuine. I trust the Lord, but during the toughest times of my life, I felt I needed a boatload of faith to get me through. I endured seasons where, instead of assurance, I found doubt.

Ephesians 4:15 gives every believer God’s marching orders. Our motivation should be to speak God’s truth in love, and to grow in every way like Christ. Heavenly Father wants us increasing in this growth continually. We endure such complications and struggles in life, and sometimes after having gotten over a hurdle, sometimes we think we won’t have to struggle again. Well, life is such that just when we think our faith muscle couldn’t be stretched any further, it’s going to be. God wants us to know and trust that our faith in Him will never be misplaced, because He will never disappoint us.

Troubles and challenging situations bring out any doubt that we have in our hearts. For some of us, doubt is our lane of choice, because we still haven’t put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in first gear. We think to ourselves that we can’t possibly handle any more. We go to God with, “Father, what’s next?!!! Every area of my life is under attack. How much more do I have to take?” We feel we might break, and this gives doubt the running start it is looking for.

Doubt stems from fear. We know this, but we still wrestle with whether to trust God or to tread in that darkness that we know so well. Think of how God must feel about this. The significant relationships in our lives will help us to better understand how important faith is to Him. God created marriage to teach us great lessons about faith. Take for example how we, as women, expect that our partners will show us their love. When our partners no longer respond by showing us their love, we instantly suspect something is wrong; they’re not being supportive, thoughtful, and giving. If they continue with this behavior, you know what happens? We lose faith in their love.

God never stops loving us. John 3:16 tells us that He loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to save the world, to save everyone, so that whoever believes in what God did through Christ will be saved. You see, we must believe in His overwhelming, unconditional love. The way that we demonstrate our love for God is through our faith in Him. He will never, ever stop loving us, but our fear and doubt means that we are losing faith in God’s love, and this does not bring Him the honor He is due.

God’s Will is that we lean on Him totally and trust Him with all our hearts. Yes, obstacles have a way of pushing us to our limits, but Romans 8:37 reminds us to cling to our identity in Christ. We are more than conquerors in him, and through him we have the victory in every circumstance. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, because anyone that comes to Him must believe He exists, and they must also believe that He is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. God rewards our faith! So, let’s continue to pray in faith and trust our loving and wonderful Father, no matter what it is that we face. He will protect us, and His love will never fail. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

When We Take Our Eyes Off God

It was hard to listen to one of my dear friends’ frustration this week. For nearly 30 minutes, she complained that her significant other of two-years will never take responsibility for his mistakes. They’ve had many conversations on wanting to move their relationship to the next level, which is marriage, but they have two huge problems. The first is their lack of trust and the second is their inability to communicate with each other about difficult issues. Both are huge barriers that keep popping up and prevents them from moving forward in their relationship.

2 Peter 1:3 (NIV) says “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” The knowledge of God’s Word gives us all the instruction and guidance we need; it covers everything that pertains to living a Godly life. All problems can be resolved through the wisdom of God’s Word, and He has certainly instructed us how to treat one another in a relationship. Whether you’ve been in each other’s lives for six-months or sixteen years, there are disciplines expressed through God’s love that will build a solid foundation for any relationship. One of these disciplines is that both individuals must be vulnerable to one another and be accountable for their actions. This is necessary for the success of their union.

When two people first meet, they should want to bring their very best to the table. They should be the best representation of themselves. As the relationship develops, this shouldn’t diminish but increase. Often, the exact opposite occurs. After the courtship has lasted a few months, folks become too comfortable, and they stop valuing each other as they once did. They allow those very best qualities they exhibited in the beginning to take a backseat.

Colossians 1:11(NLT) contains a discipline that should be in our continual prayer lives. It says, “We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.” Life in general requires us to be spiritually strengthened through God’s power, and marriage will most definitely require it. Endurance and patience are fruits of the Spirit. God commands us to produce the Spirit’s fruit so we can handle any situation. If we obey His command, we will increase in faith and remain poised to minister to our spouses. Through endurance and patience, we will love and operate out of God’s grace. Yes, there are going to be things about the significant person in our lives that we won’t exactly be pleased with, but the love of God in our hearts will help us navigate this in a way the preserves the unity of the relationship.

We can’t take our eyes off God’s standards or principles. Doing so would allow the enemy an opportunity for his evil attacks. Romans 5:2-5 tells us that our goal must be for God to receive the glory in every situation. This is the hope we can rejoice in. And not only this, we can rejoice when we go through tough times, because they produce patience and endurance in us, and these build character. They build character because we begin to recognize that through tribulations and troubles, God’s strength and power works best. When we look to Him and lean on His love, His Spirit will give us what we need to endure the difficult times in a relationship.

Many of us look to the significant person to be the hope, but our hope must be in God who works in every person that loves Him. It is a hope that will never disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit that indwells us. So, making the decision to trust God and lean on His strength activates the best in us, and it will keep us walking in this grace if we choose love every time.

We can become so engrossed in the demands of a relationship that we lose sight of the reality that our purpose is to be a blessing, not to lose ourselves in the person. When we start constantly blaming them and not looking at ourselves, we lose an opportunity to see God at work within. Doubt then comes into play, because we’ve taken our eyes off God. 2 Timothy 2:5(NLT) tells us, “And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.” In significant relationships, we must learn how to submit ourselves to one another in humility and always keep our focus on loving with a heart full of the love of Christ. If we truly want the prize of a loving and faithful relationship, we must follow God’s Word, patiently endure, and let His Spirit take the lead in every aspect of our union.■

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

The Lessons of Love and Heartbreak

2 Corinthians 12:9(NLT)
“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

The first time I remember reading 2Corinthians 12:9 was in my late twenties. I was going through a very emotional time and was trying to mend my brokenness. I had an emotionally wrenching breakup with a man that I cared for very much. As with any couple, things were not always easy. We had tough times, but had gotten through most of them, and I truly believed he was man that I’d share my life with, but he didn’t feel the same way. This left a void in my life, and if you’ve ever experienced heartbreak like this, you know how terrible it can feel and how much you want the hurt to stop. It was during this time that 2Corinthians 12:9 brought tremendous comfort, because I knew I needed God’s strength and grace to get me through.

Both my ex-boyfriend and I were Christians. We were adamant about pursuing the things of God and living by the example of Christ. Through most of our relationship, I thought we were on the same page, that we were both preparing for the likely possibility of marriage. I was wrong and ended up being crushed. I couldn’t understand it. Everything had felt so right, and it didn’t make sense for things to fall apart the way they did. As I waded through all the emotions and hurt, I did what must of us do when we’re in the shock of heartbreak; I asked, “God, why did you let this happen to me?”

Proverbs 14:12 tells us that there is a path that seems right, but it ends in death and destruction. None of us really believe we’ll choose this path. We think to ourselves that we’re intelligent and astute enough to not make decisions that end badly, but life really doesn’t care all that much about our intelligence. God has designed life to respond to the truth, so what matters to Him is that we are humble. Our humility keeps us on the right path.

How does it do this—how does humility keep us on the right path? Jesus Christ tells us that without humility, we can’t enter God’s Kingdom; it’s just that important! 1Peter 5:6(NLT) tells us, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” The greatest lesson we can learn about hurt is how to trust God to get over it. The other very important lesson is revealed to many of us in hindsight. After our hearts are broken, we realize the extent to which we must lean on God, so that we make decisions that are guided by Him. Even when we think a person has all the attributes that would make him or her a good spouse, we simply can’t know this to be true. Only God knows who is best for us. If we humble ourselves before Him and ask for His guidance, He will help us make the right decisions.

It was not an easy process of getting over the hurt of this heartbreak, but I prayed a lot, and most importantly, I trusted God. I trusted His Word. Psalm 46:1(NKJV) says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” This verse is my reality and I’m so thankful. It will be your reality too if you trust Him. During the process of God healing my heart, there were times when my mind drifted to doubt and dismay. I had the kind of thoughts can distance you from the understanding you need, but the Spirit of the Lord comforted me. The Lord taught me patience and humility. Through His process, I learned another important spiritual lesson; and it perhaps is the one that most keeps my feet from falling into another trap. I had allowed another human being to be the center of my emotional strength. I depended on another person to do for my soul what only God’s love can do. Lordship belongs to Jesus Christ and no other, and when we humble ourselves to this reality, our healing will be long lasting and life changing.

We don’t have to be defeated by heartbreak. If we pray, obey God, and lean totally on Him, He will elevate us far above the heartache we’ve experienced. The Lord wants us to walk in victory and have a happy life. He will bless us to have a fulfilling relationship that will last, and we must never doubt this. It is natural to mourn the lost of something that has meant so much to us, but we must not campout in misery too long. We should give ourselves a little time to mourn, but then we must remember that we serve a God that gives us grace and mercy. His power works best in our weakness, and as we are committed to move further in His Will, at the right time, He will lift us up and cause us to our heartbreak to fade away. ■

“The Lessons of Love and Heartbreak”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

God’s Love is Perfection Beyond Compare

1 John 4:18(NKJV)

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

How do we get the most we possibly can out of love without getting hurt? It isn’t too much of a stretch to think that many have been searching for the answer to this question a long time. Heartbreak, sadness, let-down, loneliness, and disappointment are some of the most painful feelings. We all run the risk of experiencing them when we allow ourselves to care for another individual, but God has given us a way to avoid risking our hearts through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He does this by first helping us to discern real love, and then He gives us a defining characteristic of this love. It doesn’t have fear.

There are many people that will say things like, “I am very careful because I’ve been burned before.” This is typically spoken by a person that has gone through a painful relationship and break-up. It reminds me of when parents warn their children to stay away from fire or anything that is so hot it could burn them. Well, children have been known to disobey their parents, but usually all it takes is one time to touch a hot stove. The burn is so uncomfortable that it makes an indelible imprint and the child will most likely not need to be warned again.

God gives us a similar warning in Proverbs 4:23(NLT). He tells us, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” To guard is to watch what goes in and watch what comes out. God would not tell us to do something we are not capable of doing. He has instructed us to be careful what goes in and out of our hearts, because this is something He holds us responsible for. He’s given us free-will, and we are in charge of this aspect of soul housekeeping.

The love that God is talking about in 1John 4:18 is the love of Jesus Christ. This is the real love that God expects and has commanded us to fill our hearts with. Because we have been saturated with the world’s or society’s definition and standard of love, we mistakenly make this our own, and we must renew our minds to God’s definition of love to correct this. He tells us in Romans 12:2 that we should not allow the world’s culture, traditions, and standards to conform us, but instead, we should saturate our minds and hearts with His Word so that He can transform us into what He desires us to be.

Many of us have developed a fear of people getting too close, because we’ve gotten too close to the hot stove before, and we got burned. It’s the worse feeling but we should know that protecting or guarding our hearts is different from having fear about them. This is because the motivation behind the two is different. Our motivation to guard and protect our hearts should be, first and foremost, to make sure they are open and pliable to God. It’s not about losing ourselves in another person, because this is always a big mistake. We don’t belong to ourselves. 1Corinthians 6:19 tells us that we belong to God, because He purchased us with the price of His only begotten Son’s life. We should only want to lose ourselves in God, to the point that we become like Him and exhibit His nature. We must walk in the example of Jesus Christ so that we please and honor God, and this must always be the most important thing in life to a follower of Christ.

1Thessalonians 2:4(NLT) gives us our mandate. It says, “For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.” Our job is to keep our hearts pure so that when God examines them, He will not find anything like obsession, fear, anger, jealousy, or resentment. Instead, He will find our commitment to put Him first. When we do this, any walls we’ve constructed of fear will come tumbling down, because God’s love is real and perfection beyond compare. It will keep us in perfect peace, as we humble ourselves and stay anchored in His protection and care.■

“God’s Love is Perfection Beyond Compare”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

When Your Faith is Tested by the Fire

Pain will often bring things to the surface. If we deal with them instead of stuffing them back down, God will heal us so we can go higher in Christ.

1 Peter 1:5-7(NLT)
“5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

We live in a world where satan blinds the minds of people, and they cannot see the good news about Jesus Christ. Because of the enemy’s tricks, plots, and attacks, we are not going to like everything that happens around us or even to us. Sometimes, things get ugly. They can be both disappointing and devastating, and when these are coupled with worries about our jobs, relationships and our futures, we feel hopeless. Sometimes we question why we should even try. Well, God tells us in His Word that nothing happens by happenstance. For everything, there is a reason. We may not always understand the reasons why things happen, but we can be sure that God wants us to trust Him and keep the faith, no matter what we’re facing or going through.

If you find yourself in a dark and dismal place, where you’re asking, “What am I living for?” The answer to this question can be found in the Words that our God spoke to Moses in Exodus 9:16(NLT). He said, “But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Our lives do not belong to us, they belong to God. He purchased them with the highest price that could be paid in all of eternity, and that price was the life and sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We are alive because God loves us, and He wants to reveal this love to, by, and through us. He thought about us long before we ever entered our mother’s womb, because Ephesians 1:11 tells us, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

It’s never God’s intention for us to live beneath our privilege or to experience lack, loneliness, and problems, but sometimes we encounter painful situations in life. When we go through difficulty, Jesus Christ wants us to lean on him and trust God with all our hearts. He has all power in His hands, and because of His great love for us, He will use his power to help us through any situation we face.

Romans 8:28(NLT) says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Heavenly Father tells us that HE causes ALL things to work together for our good. We must continually feast on these words as we face tribulations and trouble. These challenges are sent our way by the devil, and they are to test our faith and to draw our attention away from our relationship with God. We must not allow this to happen.

Yes, sometimes our faith is tried by the fire, but 1Peter 1:5 tells us that God is protecting us by His mighty power. Trouble doesn’t last, and God has promised that wonderful joy lies ahead if we endure. And we endure by renewing our minds, by constantly capturing those negative thoughts and replacing them with the truth of God’s Word. This is how we hold tightly to God’s hand as He walks us through the healing process. So, we must never give up, no matter what the devil throws our way. We can be strong because our God is strong. Leaning on Him in faith means that we are using our lives to bring Him glory, and we are acknowledging that He is an Awesome God who makes life worth living.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“When Your Faith is Tested by the Fire”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.