Go and Celebrate

 

Nehemiah 8:10(NLT)
“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

What do you do when circumstances don’t go your way? Do you flake out and get angry or do you trust God and remain at peace?

Being completely transparent when it comes to my emotions hasn’t always been a strength of mine, and to be honest, I’m still working on it. Being emotionally transparent is when you allow yourself to be open and vulnerable to folks. The uncomfortable part about this is that it can open you up for the opinions and rebuke of others. This can sting, and if you’ve encountered it repeatedly, you can go from being emotionally transparent and outgoing, to preferring to remain out of the spotlight and closed off, so to speak. This probably isn’t what any of us had in mind when we were carefree children, playing and celebrating life. As we get older, though, the cruelty and negativity of others can choke some of this cheerfulness out of us and leave us with the task of trying to somehow get it back.

It would be wonderful if every child were brought up in a supportive environment and was taught the Word of God from the very beginning. This would instill an impenetrable confidence in them as well as a happiness that isn’t based on external circumstances but comes from the love of Jesus Christ deep within them. This is God’s desire for us, that we will trust Him to take care of us, and that we will not look to others and material things for the love that can only come from Him. But sadly, many of us do not grow into our adult years understanding God’s love or having confidence in it, therefore, some of our choices and decisions are based on insecurity, doubt, and fear.

Our insecurities, doubts, and fears are not always apparent to us, and they can show up in unexpected ways. Sometimes we react to situations and circumstances, and don’t understand why we’ve gotten so upset or why we shutdown. When I was a young woman in my twenties, I allowed my feelings and emotions to run the show, and I let my feelings and emotions control how I responded to life. If a relationship with someone I really liked wasn’t going well, I’d get up in the morning sad and carry that sadness throughout my day. If someone upset me, I’d carry the anger and upset with me. I didn’t know that I was supposed to take authority through the Lord Jesus Christ and respond to situations in life the way that he did.

In John 8:29(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” This is our example. It is the attitude and mindset that we are supposed to follow. Jesus Christ always did the Will of God. He was called names, talked about negatively behind his back, and people wanted to destroy him, but he always responded by doing only the things that God would do. Jesus Christ was not weak or timid. He was the most powerful person that ever walked the face of this earth. He could have wiped out all the evil people that existed, but he didn’t do this. He was humble and kind, and he always responded to people and situations with great strength, but also with great love and compassion.

He did this because he had full confidence that God backed his steps. He said in John 8:29 that the Father had not left him alone. Jesus Christ understood that God was always and forever with him, and he was also extremely confident that he had nothing to fear; each of us should have this same confidence. The sting of hurt and heartbreak can make us fearful of experiencing this pain again. And some of us allow ourselves to develop a habit of lashing out or bringing ourselves equal to the angry or confrontational tone that is being presented by the other person. We are commanded by Christ to choose differently. Back and forth negativity begins a cycle that continues, but if we meet situations with the strength of the love of Christ, we put a stop to pain and fear.

A woman of God said to me, “feeling good is everything!” Four simple words, but it packs a big wallop of truth behind it. Feeling good is a choice. It’s a choice to totally trust and lean on God, and this is what He desires us to do. When you wake up in the morning without a zestful feeling of assurance in your heart and mind, you might be tempted to let misery overtake your day. You might then choose to feel down and discouraged, but if you will pray and ask for God’s help, He will do a work on the inside of you through His powerful Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives inside every born-again believer, and he comforts, teaches, strengthens, and guides us to God’s truth!

The truth is that the love of God can move any mountain out of your way. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 11:29(NLT), “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” We need to rest peacefully, and Jesus Christ invites us to do this in him, where peace, rest, and comfort abide. We must remind ourselves of our identity in Christ each morning and give our days over to God. He cannot fail, and He is faithful to keep us according to His promises. We don’t have to let our emotions and feelings govern our lives. Instead, we must bring them under the leadership of Christ. When we obey his example in faith, every day will be the celebration God means for it to be. ■

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.

“Go and Celebrate”, 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.

Instead of Doing That, Do This

Isaiah 57:10(NLT)
“You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. Desire gave you renewed strength, and you did not grow weary.”

How many Christians do you know today that are tired of life and are constantly feeling like there’s no good left in the world?  Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulations, and life has a way of moving at a pace some of us don’t like. We either wish it would speed up a bit faster or slow down to meet us at our comfort level. There are so many people that are saved by the blood of the lamb, but we’re not as overjoyed about it as we should be. The toils of life seem very heavy on our shoulders, and some of us might be tempted to think that nothing will make us feel better about our lives.

A believer in the Lord Jesus Christ told me that he just doesn’t feel the need to get out of bed anymore, and that it takes so much mental energy just to do the simple things in life. Anyone that knows anything about tribulations knows that the devil tries to really do a number on you. The mental and emotional exhaustion from both internal and external pressures can leave you weary and depleted. This isn’t what God wants for us. It’s bondage, and we must have confidence that there is a better way for us to live. Jesus Christ said in John 8:32(NLT) that when we know the truth, the truth will make us free. Many of us will not stretch our minds to believe this. We’re seeking everything else but the truth.

Fear keeps so many of us in bondage. You might be thinking, “What does fear have to do with feeling exhausted from the pressures of life?” Fear is the thing that tricks our minds into believing that exhaustion is our only option. When we’ve suffered abuse, even if it was years ago, the trauma can become locked in our bodies, and it is corrosive. It can turn into chronic illness and pain if unaddressed. We don’t want to hurt anymore, so we develop walls around ourselves—around our hearts—and they keep us locked in, and if we’re not careful, they can also keep love locked out. Fear and pain try to convince us that God will not shine His light in our lives, but He will. We must give Him a chance. He will change our dark nights to sunny days if we will allow Him to do it. Fear manifests itself in many ways, but the good news is that we don’t have to know all the details of our pain to be healed from it. We simply must be willing to give it over to Christ. 

We have to feed our minds, souls, and spirits the right stuff.  Pain, weariness, fear, loneliness, and emotional exhaustion, these show us that we are works in progress. We’re not perfect, but we are being perfected in Christ each day. We need to let God’s Word mold and shape us into the person He has called us to be, and this means we have to seek God and pursue Him with faith. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT) tells us, “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Trusting God is our life, and when we run low on trust, life will reflect our depleted state. The answer isn’t to concede to this pattern and continue expecting the worse. The answer is to make a greater commitment to feed our minds and hearts the Word of God. 

God is our strength! When you feel like you can’t go on any longer, his love will carry you through. Jesus Christ said in Luke 18:1 that we need to pray at all times and not lose heart. In Galatians 6:9, God tells us not to grow weary in well-doing, because in due time, we’re going to reap a harvest if we don’t give up. Instead of being comfortable with feeling low, make even the smallest change to surrender your burdens to God with a heart that believes in His power and love. Pray and ask Him to renew a right spirit within you, and ask Him to give you a new heart. Be committed to never look back, and let the Lord show you how He heals, restores, and makes everything better.■ 

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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. 

“Instead of Doing That, Do This”, 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.

Tell Your Mountain to Move

Matthew 17:19-20(NLT)

“Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Driving past the local cable store the other day reminded me of my last visit there. I tried to exchange some equipment and on this particular night, the line for customer service was abnormally long. For some reason, I wasn’t too bothered. I now know it was the indwelling Holy Spirit. He was helping me be patient in the wait. As I did so, I happened to connect with a customer service representative that was dealing with troubling issues within her family. All it took was for me to ask how her day was going, and it was as if she had been waiting for just the opportunity to unload her burden. She shared that her twin sister was in an abusive marriage and had two young sons. Adding insult to injury, they had also learned that her sister’s abusive husband had gotten another woman pregnant.

This situation is what many believers would call a mountain. It’s a heavy set of circumstances that seem insurmountable. Standing on the ground, the rocky terrain looks steep and treacherous; it seems too hard to climb. No doubt, this is how the lady at the cable store felt, and her sister probably felt the same way. The emotional entanglements of an abusive marriage can feel like a prison. A person may want to leave, but children, financial support, and years of history can add complications. The person that is suffering the brunt of the abuse might believe there’s no way out or no way to change the circumstances. Well, Jesus Christ teaches us in Matthew 17 that if we have faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, that’s all we need. It’s enough to tell the mountain in our lives to adios, and it must obey!

A mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, but it produces the largest plant that will eventually grow into a tree. Imagine what you could accomplish with your mustard seed of faith. Jesus Christ has made it clear that we can’t see any situation or circumstance in our lives as being any match to his limitless power. Nothing is too big for God. He said in 2Corinthians 12:9(NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” God created us to be members of His family. We were created to live by walking in partnership with Him. We can’t tackle the mountains of life alone, but Jesus Christ reminds us in Matthew 19:26(NKJV), “but with God all things are possible.”

The lady at the cable store reminded me that some people do not realize that they can pray for the power of God to intervene in the lives of others. Sometimes, those we love and care about are so bound in the cycle of hurt and abuse, that they cannot see things clearly. We can pray that God will open their eyes, and that He will give them the emotional and mental strength to do what’s best for them. Our responsibility is to pray in faith. This means that we don’t become disappointed when the signs of success are not visible to us, because God is always working. His thoughts are infinitely higher than our thoughts, and His ways are infinitely more perfect and brilliant than ours are. He tells us in Romans 8:28 that He causes all things to work together for good. We must trust Him, continue in prayer, and know that no matter the size of the mountain, it will move according to our faith in God. ■

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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.

“Tell Your Mountain to Move”, 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.

The Invisible, Untouchable Good Stuff

Philippians 4:13(NLT)
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

“Why do I feel like God wants me to go through this pain?!!!”

Philippians 4:13 is a source of strength and support when we face difficulties and tribulation. This is especially true when it comes to experiencing betrayal from a loved one. A healthy relationship with the significant person in your life is a beautiful thing. Most of us long for this type of relationship. When we meet someone that we believe will give it to us and also extend the kind of love we feel we need, the sense of belonging and delight is very satisfying to our souls. But sometimes, these relationships do not work out as we hope. Just as we, ourselves, may have fallen out of love with people in our past relationships, the person that means so much to our worlds right now can also lose the love they once had for us. It can be a devastating blow.

I have friends that have been on the receiving end of this kind of heartache more than a few times. I’ve seen them try just about anything to minimize the pain, because as many of us can attest, the pain of a broken heart is gut-wrenching. The effects of betrayal can leave you traumatized to the point that you don’t want to get out of bed or face the day. You just don’t think you have the strength to make it through. The reality is that pain reveals the extent to which we desperately need the power of God’s love and Word. This the only medicine that can truly heal a broken heart.

When you’re in pain, and you’ve got responsibilities and others depending on you, you’ve got to keep pressing and pushing to keep everything together. You don’t have the luxury of staying down too long. Philippians 4:13 says that we can do all things through Christ, because he’s the One who gives us strength, but this verse doesn’t mean that we have to do everything on our own. Jesus Christ is the glue. He will hold everything together. Our part is to make sure we allow him to work in us. God told the Apostle Paul in 2Corinthians 12:9(NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”  God does not want us to be in pain. He wants to empower us in His strength, and He will work through us to bring us to victory on the other side of pain. Our part is to trust in His power and have faith that His Word is true.

Heavenly Father is our Creator and all of us come from Him. We were shaped, formed, and fashioned from His love. He is the One that has given us our identity and invited us into His family through Jesus Christ. We are God’s children and we belong to Him. Any time that we experience pain from something that has gone horribly wrong, or from someone hurting us very badly, we must remember who we are and whose we are. We don’t belong to ourselves. We belong to Heavenly Father, and He has a great plan for our lives. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11(NLT), “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Sometimes we make decisions and choices without consulting Him. Other times, we just flat out mess up, but God knew about it before it happened. His plan for us is good and it cannot fail. His wisdom, love, and power is so perfect that despite our mess ups, despite what we’re going through right now, Romans 8:28 declares that He will make all things work together for our good.

We must realize the magnitude of God’s love and strength and be committed to let it reinforce our inner being through His Spirit.  Ephesians 3:18 tells us, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” If we’ll think back to the love we invested in the person that betrayed us, we must admit that we took something from inside ourselves that we couldn’t see, couldn’t hold, and couldn’t touch; and we gave this invisible, untouchable good stuff to someone else. It’s okay that they didn’t or couldn’t fully accept it. If we remain faithful to Him, God will send someone that will not only accept it, they will honor it as well.

But the truth remains that we took our strength and love from deep within, and we gave it to someone else. Well, God’s love is the greatest power that exists. And just as freely as we gave someone our good invisible, untouchable substance, we ought to let God fill us up with His love. The answer for brokenness is to trust God’s love for us. It’s the source of our strength, and if we have faith, His love will make us stronger and better than we ever thought possible.■

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.

“The Invisible, Untouchable Good Stuff”, 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.