Christ Will Rescue You: November 2021

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Change Your Ways

2Corinthians 7:9(NLT)

"Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way."

No matter how many times you seem to move forward in your life, all it takes is one word of bad news and the pain, fear, and nervousness rear their ugly heads and set you back. They make you think they're running the show, and it makes us feel so down. When I read the verse in 2Corinthians 7:9, I was reminded that pain can be purposeful because it can cause us to change in ways that we never thought possible.

You might ask, "Why do we need to go through pain in order to change our ways?" I also asked myself this question, but what quickly came to me is the freedom that God extends to us by allowing us to choose. We have free-will choice, and we get to choose how we're going to respond to situations. God is the complete opposite of the hurtful feelings we experience. He represents love and liberty for us, and He doesn’t ever want us to feel pain. But if we are going about our daily routines of life, walking around asleep to God’s Word and what He’s called us to do, pain and sorrow will inevitably find their way to us. Our hiccups and missteps can almost always be tied back to something we could have changed or could have let go but didn't.

God is a loving Father. He is full of joy and love, and He wants us to be full of joy and love as well. Jesus Christ said in John 10:10 that he came to the earth in order to make a more than abundant life available to us. So, we should be confident that Heavenly Father wants us to have a successful life. And in order for us to have the life that Christ made available, God commands us to live like Jesus Christ; we are to live through him. This means we must pattern our lives after the example Jesus left for us.

We experience discomfort when everything around us is conspiring to help us recognize that change is in our midst, and we need to make some adjustments before life no longer cooperates with our refusal to do so. Emotional stress is often a blinking indicator that something is going on internally that requires our attention. Sometimes it relates to an area in our lives that we have not yet given God access to, like our significant relationships, for instance.

Many women have difficulty prioritizing when it comes to the love they feel for a man and the love they should have for God. We must understand that our love for God should be exponentially higher, more intimate, and more fulfilling than the love we have for anyone else. Jesus Christ commands us in Mark 12:30(NLT), "And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." We must love God with all that we are, and this is not up for negotiation. As we think about what we need to change, alter, or increase about ourselves and our faith, this is the first place to start.

We need to ask ourselves if we are loving God the way Jesus Christ has commanded. Some of us never ask this question of ourselves, and this is sometimes what our sorrows will reveal. Going back to 2Corinthians 7:9, Heavenly Father reminds us that the positive change that our sorrows spark is the greater gain. In His Word, He tells us His expectations regarding how we should change. He spells out exactly what we should remove from our lives, and exactly the kind of love that should saturate our hearts, and not only this, it is the kind of love we should be receiving from others. In Ephesians 4:30-32(NLT), Heavenly Father tells us, "30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."

As God’s children, we are created to house His Spirit and to be conduits of His divine love. We aren’t built to hold on to bitterness, rage, anger, and evil behavior. Not only can these heavies break us down physically, but they take a toll on us spiritually. We can't be who God has called us to be when our hearts are not flooded with His love and goodness. Change can be very challenging, but we cannot grow without it, and growing in Christ is our reason for being on this earth. We must always remember that we are never alone. The Lord is with us always, and He will never forsake us. We can be comforted in the reality that He is helping us to develop spiritual character, and when we have reached the level of spiritual maturity that He desires, He will be pleased, and we will be rewarded. ■

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, November 23, 2021

Don’t Let the Pain Turn You Away from God

John 14:1(NLT)
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”
Monica handles pressure well, she has to. She’s a single parent with two children, and one has autism. Four months ago, she moved two hours away from her family and friends to get away from an abusive relationship. Brady was so loving and tender with her and the kids in the beginning. He was especially good with Jason. His younger brother has autism, so having Brady’s help had made a big difference in their lives. After a few months though, she noticed that his drinking was much more than casual. He’d get drunk on the weekends, and at first, it was just the verbal abuse, but then turned physical when she’d confront him about the drinking.

When she and the boys moved, she found it more challenging than she had expected. She missed Brady and hated what alcohol had done to him and to their relationship, but she couldn’t allow him to come back into their lives. It was too painful. They needed this fresh start, and she was back to juggling a million things on her own, but she felt different. This time she was really struggling to hold it together, and she wondered if she was finally at her breaking point.

In Matthew 11:28-30(NLT), Jesus Christ instructs us to, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Most of us know that he wants us to come to him with all our troubles and pray for his help and guidance, but sometimes we see our problems bigger than we see his willingness and ability to help us.

Monica was angry with herself for getting involved with Brady and allowing him to be such a big part of her kid’s life. She felt she should have been more careful. On the other hand, the first few months of their relationship was one of the best times of her life. He was everything she wanted a man to be. Still shocked at how quickly things went downhill, she wondered if she’d ever be able to trust anyone again. She decided to put all her feelings and emotions on the backburner and just plow ahead, taking care of her kids and doing what she had to in order to make their lives work. The problem is that bouts of sadness were more frequent, and harder to ignore.

In 1Thessalonians 5:17(NLT), God commands us to “Pray without ceasing.” He knows we have responsibilities at home and at work. He knows we have obligations that must be tended to, so He doesn’t mean that we should be praying repeatedly and continually, 24/7. He means that a large part of our spare time should be spent in prayer to Him in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:10-11(NLT) tells us, “10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” And Jesus Christ tells us in John 14:13-14(NLT), “13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”

We make mistakes and errors in judgment, and we sometimes end up in a lot of emotional pain, but we must not allow it to turn us away from God. He is faithful to help us. He tells us to trust in Him, and when we trust in Him, we can rest in Him. This means that we will need to give ourselves the pleasure and privilege of getting to know God on a greater level. Romans 10:17(NKJV) tells us, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Our faith is increased when we hear and learn more about God through His Word. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to keep guard over our hearts because the heart is the place where all the issues of life are determined. If we study and read God’s Word, it will shield our minds and hearts from chaos and confusion and give us God’s peace.

God is the answer to all our problems, no matter how hurtful or complex they may be. He wants a close relationship with us, and He wants to be a part of every aspect of our existences, but we have to do the things He has told us to do. We must invite Him into our situations and circumstances by praying often, reading and studying His Word, and by having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The source of our strength, peace, joy, and power is in God. When we turn away from our pain and run into His arms with all that we are, He will not disappoint us. The Lord will comfort us with His love and heal our hearts as we seek to grow closer to Him. ■

“Don't Let the Pain Turn You Away from God”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Rest Easy

Matthew 17:20, NLT; "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."

The disciples asked Jesus Christ a question after witnessing him cast out a demon out of a boy. “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. I had to exchange some equipment and on this particular night the line for customer service was abnormally long. For some reason though I wasn’t too bothered, I now know it was the Holy Spirit within me keeping me patient in the wait. The wait was for me to come in contact with a customer service representative that was dealing with some turbulence in her family. All it took was for me to ask how her day was going, and it was if she had been waiting to exhale in that moment. She shared that her twin sister was in an abusive marriage with two young sons. Adding insult to injury, it was revealed that her sister’s husband had gotten another woman pregnant.

What mountains do you need to move from here to there? There are some mountains in our lives that for some, are inconceivable to climb or even think to move. There is a mountain in the sister’s life in the form of her abusive husband. Right now she may not think that anything can change her circumstances, but just as Jesus Christ told his disciples in Matthew 17, if we have the smallest of faith, it’s enough to tell the mountain in your life to adios.

A mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds but it produces the largest plant that grows into a tree. Imagine what you could accomplish with your seed. It’s time we get very specific about how to use the right kind of faith for what we want. Because faith for financial prosperity is not the same kind of faith that you apply to get relief from a person causing pain and anguish. It’s up to you to decide how far you want to move and at what pace you want to move in.

We sometimes get sidetracked with thinking that size matters but God has scriptures that paint a different perspective. All we have to do is read 1 Samuel 17 about David slaying Goliath. Goliath, was a Philistine Champion that stood over nine feet tall. He taunted the Israelites who were terrified of him and it only took a young boy named David, who was small in stature, to kill him. What allowed David the advantage was he never wavered in his trust and faith in God’s ability to deliver him out of the hands of his enemy. He said that as many times as he fought lions and bears, God delivered him out of his enemies hand every time, so his faith was so strong, that he knew that a nine-foot tall fighter was no different.

This is how we have to be when it comes to our faith in God’s ability to deliver unto us what we desire. As long as we trust him and never doubt, we will always have the advantage.

Not only do we have plant good seeds, we have to plant them in good ground. Your mustard seed of faith has to planted on the ground that God has ordained as good. We represent the Kingdom of God and He wants us to know that the Kingdom of Heaven is wherever we are. We can rest easy with the assurance of faith in God to move any mountain out of our way.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Our Responsibility to Grow in Christ

Isaiah 61:7(NIV)

“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.”

Carolyn was newly divorced with three children and a mortgage she could barely afford. Her husband abandoned her for another woman. They were a well-known couple with deep ties to their faith community, and she aspired to become a minister one day. The shame she felt became heavier when she discovered that many of their friends and acquaintances knew about his affair long before she did. The betrayal was overwhelming. She lost weight and her hair thinned from the anxiety and sadness of it all. She contemplated suicide more than a few times but didn’t go through with it because she couldn’t stomach the thought of abandoning her children like her husband had done a year earlier.

Her husband had been a good provider. He was very handy and knew a little about a lot of things. He took care of anything that was broken around their home, but he wasn’t affectionate and had been ‘ol school’ when it came to public shows of affection or talking about his feelings. She was shocked when she heard that he and the woman he had an affair with were holding hands and canoodling in public. Carolyn was bewildered by this. Even after a year, she was still dealing with so many emotions and wanted to disappear, but she was also discovering something else about herself. If her husband hadn’t asked her for a divorce, she would never have thought about it.

For a very long time, many people have thought that God causes their hardships and troubles. They have believed that He punishes in order to test us, and that He wants us to suffer. Some people believe this way because this is what they were taught. Our first priority should be to always go to God’s Word, because there He tells us exactly who He is and what He does. He would never leave His truth to speculation, assumptions, or to the opinions of others. Instead, He has made every sane and intelligent person responsible for seeking Him first and for studying His Word so that we can know the truth. He tells us in 2Timothy 2:15(NKJV), “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Carolyn has questioned her faith many times since her husband filed for divorce. She thought her belief in God was rock solid. She didn’t see a need, so for many years, she hadn’t altered or increased the spiritual practices she’d had in place. For a very long time, she wanted to run a ministry for abused women. Her mother had been in an abusive relationship before she married Carolyn’s father, but Carolyn believed her own childhood had been a happy one. Even as an adult, she had not experienced anything as painful as her broken marriage. It hadn’t occurred to her that she could be so deeply cut by the pain of betrayal. She hadn’t thought about what it means to be strong in the Lord even when you feel like mush on the inside. Carolyn hadn’t learned to trust God through tough obstacles, and this is absolutely a must for strong believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Heavenly Father is a great big wonderful God! He wants to have an intimate relationship with us, and He wants our knowledge of Him and His Word to increase as we grow in the example of Christ. We can never become comfortable in where we are in our knowledge of God in Christ, and we can’t remain at the same level of spiritual growth year after year. Through the Apostle Paul, God tells us in Philippians 1:9(NLT), “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.” This is what He wants us to strive for, to continue growing more in knowledge and understanding about Him.

God will cause all things to work together for our good, even when things appear dark. He will replace all the things we’ve lost through tribulation and trouble, but we must not waver in faith. He wants us to have everlasting joy, but we have a responsibility to grow in Christ as well. Like Carolyn, many of us don’t realize our lack of spiritual growth until something happens to knock us off our feet. When this happens, instead of asking God, “WHY?”, we need to change our priorities, put our relationship with Him first, and seek Him like never before.

Life is a very dynamic instrument, and it will not slow down and wait for us to catch up. God doesn’t cause the trouble in our lives, the devil does. And this is why God commands us in Ephesians 6:10 to be strong in Him and in the power of His might. Faith requires us to know the Word of God, because God equips us through His truth. Ephesians 6:11(NKJV) warns, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” We can trust that we will be spiritually strong against whatever the enemy throws our way when we are increasing in faith. We will stay poised to hear God’s voice, and we can move strategically to His directives when we’re committed to nurture our relationship with Him by increasing our prayer life and studying His Word more diligently. ■

“Our Responsibility to Grow in Christ”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Why Are You Crying, You Have Me!

1Samuel 1:8(NLT)

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”

“Lord I’m struggling – I know I have it within me to do better. Help me!”

Twenty years ago, I remember being on my knees, balling my eyes out, on the floor of my one-bedroom apartment. I was so distraught about where I was in my life. I had envisioned so much better for myself, but it seemed that I was very far from the place I had imagined. When I awakened the next morning, I realized I had slept the whole night on the floor. This was a very challenging time for me in my faith and in my life, but when I read 1Samuel 1:8, I felt instantly comforted. It helped to ease my worries and fears. Life can be overwhelming at times, and we often find that we simply don’t have it within ourselves to rally courage and strength. It is so wonderful to know that God is good and having Him on our side is all we need.

During biblical times, a huge part of a woman’s worth was predicated on her ability to bear children. If she was barren, she might face public ridicule, and in some cases, her worth as a wife was greatly diminished. Hannah found herself in this position. She had been childless for such a long time, but her husband, Elkanah, was not angry towards her for not giving him an heir. He did not divorce her but endeavored to be good to her. Not wanting her to cry and be downhearted, he reminded her of the good things he had done and how well he had cared for her.

Hannah still agonized because she felt insecure and disappointed for not giving her husband a son. She was in so much emotional distress that she went to the tabernacle and cried out to God. She told Him that if He would answer her cries and allow her to become pregnant with a child, she would give the child back to God.

In our day, it is very unlikely for a woman to be scorned or ridiculed for not being able to have a child. However, the pain and anguish are still very real for some women, because they desperately want to become mothers. This is a very hurtful issue for them, but there are also other issues that women are dealing with in their relationships. Some women are dealing with domestic violence and abuse and may be feeling hopeless and dealing with deep sadness about their circumstances. Just as Hannah did, we must recognize that we can go to God with our pain.

Hannah has given us an invaluable lesson in understanding God’s power. Her example teaches us that Heavenly Father responds to us when we seek Him first. Hannah recognized that no one could solve her issue except God. He is the way to find peace, and He will give us the loving tenderness we need.

As women, we sometimes look to the significant person in our lives to rescue us. We expect them to recognize what we need and then fulfill those needs. No human being can do this in and of themselves. God works through individuals to bless us, and we must never get it confused that we are blessed through Him. Hannah understood this, and in 1 Samuel 2:1(NLT), she praised God and said, “My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me.” Hannah knew from whence her deliverance came. It did not come from her husband, it came from trusting and believing God, that what He promised, He was also able to perform.

God tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that we can’t please Him without faith. We must meet Him in this place of faith when we go before Him in prayer. He hears our cries; He knows our hearts’ desires, and He certainly knows our pain. Heavenly Father heard Hannah’s cries. He delivered her from the anguish of being barren, and she believed He would. She had a son and named him Samuel.

Ephesians 3:20(NLT) declares, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Our Heavenly Father is in the business of blessing His people beyond what we could ask or think. He can far exceed your expectations. This goes to show us that as we surrender all our cares, worries, concerns, and heartaches to God through the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer, He will show us how much He loves us. He will answer our prayers and help us when we place all our faith in Him. ■

“Why Are You Crying, You Have Me!”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.