Christ Will Rescue You: February 2022

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Would God Be Pleased?

Life is a gift that was given to us by our magnificently generous Heavenly Father. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to earth in order to give us access to a more than abundant life. This reveals the Father’s heart towards us. He wants us to live life to the fullest, and the only way to accomplish this is to live it through Jesus Christ. This means that we must line up our thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, and actions to resemble the example of our beloved Redeemer. When we do this, we will live a bless existence, but if we don’t, God will not be pleased, and we will move in the opposite direction of His love and blessings.

It is very important to understand that the Father has given us knowledge about what pleases Him in His Word. He tells us in Hebrews 11:6(NLT), “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” There can be no question that faith pleases God and not having faith in Him does not please Him. Well, what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the confidence that what we’re hoping for will actually manifest. Faith is the title deed to the thing we’ve prayed to receive before it arrives in the natural realm. In other words, faith is believing in God’s ability and willingness to bless us when we pray and live according to His Will. It requires consistency and commitment.

When it comes to the area of our significant relationships, many of us have a very challenging time applying the kind of faith that Hebrews 11:1 explains. Often, we leave God out of the equation and this is a very dangerous move. This danger is made very clear in the record of David’s lust for Bathsheba. During Old Testament times, God appointed David to be king over his people. 2Samuel 11:2-4 tells us that late one afternoon, after a nap, he took a walk on the roof of the palace. He looked out and spanned over the city and noticed Bathsheba taking a ceremonial bath. She was unusually beautiful, and David sent his messengers to get her. They brought her to the palace, and she and David were intimate. This was a very bad move on David’s behalf, and it opened the door for lots of trouble.

Bathsheba was already married to Uriah and later she discovered she was pregnant with David’s child. When his plan to cover this up didn’t work, King David ordered Uriah, a soldier, to be placed on the front lines where the battle was most fierce, and there he was killed. 2Samuel 11:26-27(NLT) tells us, “26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the LORD was displeased with what David had done.”

There is no hiding that David abused his power against Uriah and Bathsheba. Women didn’t have the rights they do today. It was probably near impossible for Bathsheba to refuse the advances of the king, but as God’s daughters living today, we have nothing like her excuse. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings because of our union with Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can use the wisdom of God’s Word to be smart about the choices we make. Having an allegiance to God through the Lord Jesus Christ gives us a deeply rooted confidence that Bathsheba didn’t have. We must wear this confidence like a second skin and represent Christ in our appearance and actions.

Yes, in our modern times, there are men that have attitudes very similar to David. They feel a sense of entitlement and that we should abdicate our allegiance to God through Christ for their physical pleasure. We must not do this. Nothing and no one should make us go against the Word and Will of God, and we should not seek to please a person over pleasing our Heavenly Father.

1Thessalonians 4:3(NLT) tells us, “God's will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.” This commandment isn’t only for those we consider to be deeply religious or pious. God has set His people apart, and all of us should be holy and committed to live a life that is pleasing to Him. “Would God be pleased?” is a question that should be continually on our hearts and minds and answering this question honestly can help to keep us on a safe and prosperous path. Steering clear of men that God has not stamped with His approval can keep us out of compromising situations. Remember, Bathsheba may not have been able to take a stand for righteousness, but as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I definitely should. If we pray and ask God for guidance in this area, He will let us know when a person is wrong for our lives, and it’s best to steer clear.■

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, February 15, 2022

When Your Eyes Are Open

2Corinithians 4:4(NLT)
“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

"Please, help me Lord!”

My ex-husband seemed to enjoy making me feel unworthy. He’d have flirtatious conversations with other women with me in the room, and then try to absolve himself of responsibility by repeatedly telling me that it’s just how successful people do business. It never seemed to let up. It got to a point where I didn’t have a moment’s peace because I was always worried about how he’d hurt me next. One evening, as I pulled into the driveway of the home we shared, I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt so abandoned and attacked, and I gripped the steering wheel of my car in utter disgust as I watched him on his cell, flirting and laughing yet again. I couldn’t take the lies and manipulation another moment. I put the car in reverse and drove away. I knew in that moment that the marriage was over.

I couldn't bring myself to get out of the car that day. The only place I wanted to be was anywhere he wasn't. He had become my tormentor, my worst nightmare come true, and I knew I couldn’t live that way any longer. I wasn’t in a good place and all I could say was, “Lord, please help me!” It feels like an almost impossible position, because you have no idea what you’re going to do. So much of my life was dependent on the survival of my marriage, but there I was, taking this huge leap into the unknown. All I could do was trust God, and He did not disappoint me.

1Peter 5:8(NLT) warns, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” Heavenly Father wants His kids to know that we have an enemy, and he is the devil. God wants our eyes to be open to the tricks of the enemy because terrible things can happen if we’re blind to the truth. This is crippling many of God’s children. They are struggling with financial hardships, deep sadness, abandonment, isolation, and other kinds of mental and emotional torment. God doesn’t want any person to struggle through life with disappointment, defeat, and despair. John 3:17(NIV) tells us, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Heavenly Father sent His only begotten Son to the world to rescue us from darkness, and we can place all our hope and trust in Jesus Christ, because he is willing and able to help us.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to see the glorious light of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and this Good News is that Jesus Christ saves us! We can’t see anything clearly when life is beating down on us, and God knows this. That’s why it’s important that as God’s children we don’t forget who we belong to and why our Lord and Savior came to the earth. He tells us in John 10:10 that he came to make our lives here on earth more than abundant, but we must want this for ourselves too.

Very often I’ve witnessed Christians succumb to the pressures that life brings. They may think that the issue can be resolved by having the right job, the right amount of money in the bank, or the right person or connection. Many of us believe that these things can bring us happiness and joy. These are temporary and can only make you feel good in the moment. These things have a light that dims very quickly, leaving people no choice but to go back to being and feeling defeated and disappointed in life. Nehemiah 8:10 affirms that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Delighting in Him makes us strong and keeps the light of Christ burning in our hearts. Only the Love of God can give us what we’re missing.

It’s the truth that sheds light and illuminates the path of victory that God has laid before us. Time is up. We can’t walk around blind anymore, and we should be determined not to be blinded to the victory that Christ has won for us all. Whether it’s a spouse or significant person who doesn’t treat us well, or a person who is trying to prevent us from being our best for God, these individuals are trying to keep the wool pulled over our eyes. We must wake up and see this for what it is.

Know that every decision you make to walk in your truest, highest self in Christ is a move towards the light. We were created by God to be free and to walk in the liberty He’s given us through Christ. Galatians 5:1(MSG) tells us, “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.” Many of us have been mistreated and abused a long time. We must love God and ourselves enough to come out of the darkness and walk in the light. We won’t have to do it alone. God will do the heavy lifting. We must trust His love for us with our whole hearts and have the courage and faith to remove the blindfold and keep it off. ■

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Keep the Courage

Deuteronomy 28:13(NLT)
"If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom."

Trust the truth within, don’t look back – keep going forward.

Abusive relationships are about someone trying to steal your power. This can do a number on your mental and emotional well-being. Once you make the decision to leave an abusive relationship, it's common to frequently travel down the path of second thoughts. You've made a good decision by leaving the biggest mistake of your life in the rear-view mirror, but repeatedly, you question your decision. We do this because our head is convinced, but our hearts aren't yet on board. That's because they haven't fully healed. You feel as though you've got just enough courage to make it one day at a time, but it's tough being alone. Loneliness makes us second guess our decisions probably more than anything else. It makes us listen to the advice of people that don't have the best track record of common sense and sound judgment. They don't understand the courage it took for you to leave.

Whatever it is you’re facing today, at this very moment, remind yourself to keep up the courage and stay true to your faith in God. Remain strong and never forget what it took for you to get this far. Don’t look back. Understand that this is what many of us do. Many women who have been in toxic or abusive relationships allow their gut instincts to take a back seat. They make decisions with their hearts and deny what their heads are telling them. Jeremiah 17:9(NLT) offers God's sound wisdom on this subject. It tells us,“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" God wants us to know that if we haven't trained our hearts with the wisdom of His Word, then we can't make our hearts the governing authority over our lives.

We can't always do what our hearts tell us. Society has a completely opposite notion. It tells us that we can't help what our hearts feel, and we can't help who our hearts love. If that were true, then surely every person that has ever lived would fall madly in love with God. John 3:16 tells us that He loved us so much that He offered the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our sins. If we have no control over who we choose to love, then surely God would have preprogrammed us to love Him automatically and unconditionally, the way we should; because He is good, holy, and magnificent beyond words. But this isn't the case. God gave us free-will agency. We choose who we will love. It's our choice, and if we can fall in love, we can choose to fall out of love, especially if the person is hurting us.

Love is a commitment. It's a commitment to honor and respect someone to such a degree that you place their welfare over your own. This is the way God wants us all to love and honor the significant person in our lives. 1Corinthians 13:5 tells us that love doesn't push, shove, or demand its own way. Love only wants what is best for the other person. God has emphasized this truth countless times in His Word. This is what He means in Deuteronomy 28:13. He doesn't want us to be egotistical or arrogant, but He wants us to know that we are His treasures. We are valuable to Him, and therefore, we must be valuable to ourselves.

We're the head and not the tail. We're above and not beneath. This tells us that we are favored by God through Jesus Christ, and this is how we should be treated. Philippians 4:13 tells us that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. What do conquerors do? They conquer! They overcome! This is your destiny! Even if it is in the smallest way, once you've gotten to a place where you have enough strength and confidence to believe this, make sure you keep confessing and telling yourself that you are more than a conqueror in Christ! Remind yourself continually that your future is much better and brighter than your past. Keep looking ahead and be thankful to God for what He has already done for your life. We are God’s masterpieces! It is not His Will for you to be hurt, mistreated, depressed, suicidal, or hopeless. He wants everyone to be happy and blessed, and when you begin to trust this, you'll see your path to peace and happiness so much clearer.