Christ Will Rescue You: June 2023

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Your Escape Route

At the rate the world is changing, with all the chaos, hatred, and violence, it’s hard to imagine how it can continue at this pace. A lot of us are confused, discouraged, and disillusioned. Life seems like one crisis after another, and we’re walking around with deep internal wounds from all that is happening. You may think to yourself, “what else can go wrong?” That’s a question that many are asking themselves, but the question that God would like us to ask is “what else can go right?” In Philippians 4:16, He gives us the strategy for escaping the woes of life. In this verse, He tells us, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ was on a boat with his disciples when suddenly there was a fierce storm, and the disciples were very afraid. Mark 4:37(NLT) says “A very bad wind came up on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the boat, and it was almost full of water.” It is very important for us to know that while this storm was occurring, our Master Jesus was inside the boat sleeping. Verses 38-39 tells us, “The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!” 39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.”

The storm that the disciples faced is a good analogy for the storms of life. A tumultuous situation can occur in the blink of an eye, just like it did with the disciples. And like them, we might cry out to God, “Father, why did you let this happen?!!! Are you going to let this problem sink me?” They thought that Jesus Christ was oblivious to their suffering and they assumed the worst. This is what many of us do when things get dicey. We panic. Jesus Christ was asleep during the storm and this conveys the reality that there is never a problem or situation that can surpass his enormous and incomparable power to handle it. In the storms of life, our Lord and Savior tells us to ‘be still and remain calm’ because through our faith, we will witness his unconditional love. We will see the many ways in which he will use his power to help us during the most difficult seasons of our lives.

Some of the disciples were expert fishermen, they knew how to handle a boat and no doubt had experience with a little bit of turbulence. They had confidence in themselves in this area, but in life, things will happen to shake our self-confidence. Life constantly reminds us that it was not meant to be lived without God’s guidance and help. Isaiah 58:11(NLT) tells us, “The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”

The storms of life can cause us to question many things. They can invade and threaten our existences, but we must not lose faith in God. 1Corinthians 10:13(The Message) tells us, “13 No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” Our Lord and Savior tells us to ‘be still and remain calm.” Romans 8:28 tells us that our Heavenly Father causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He never leaves or forsakes us. No matter what the conditions and circumstances look like, God will always provide us with an escape route. Things may look difficult in the beginning, but as you trust our Heavenly Father with all that you are, He’ll make a way for you to be victorious in the end.■

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 20, 2023

Don’t Become a Pillar of Salt

“But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Genesis 19:26 (ESV)

“Life is good. I have no complaints.” A dear friend said this to me not too long ago, but a couple of weeks after I spoke to him, he phoned again. With a very dejected tone in his voice, he expressed that he was feeling very down about his life. He felt that things were hard and said if he had a chance to do it all over again, he would do many things differently. Often during our conversations, he has talked about his “boys” and how they have it so rough because of their unhappy marriages. They complain to him all the time about their wives. He has always felt his life was pretty easy in comparison, because he is unencumbered with the responsibilities that his married friends have, but something has happened to change his perspective. His life took a turn that surprised him, and he sees things differently. He’s regretful, especially about his choice to end his last relationship, because now, he’s facing the most challenging time of his life alone.

All of us have been at a place in our lives where we regretted some of our decisions. It’s not a good feeling. We remember at one time feeling carefree, and we didn’t think about the possibility that circumstances might change. We didn’t heed God’s instruction to remain prayerful and close to Him so we can always hear His voice and follow His guidance. Jesus Christ said in John 16:13(NLT) that the Holy Spirit that indwells us “will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” We desperately need the Spirits guidance, and we need to have a hearty prayer life so that we learn to recognize the Spirit’s promptings, because they guide and keep us on a safe path.

Many of us make ourselves comfortable with situations that do not require us to grow, evolve, and change for the better. Some of us remain in relationships that continually hinder and hold us back. We’ve discarded good relationships and held too tightly to bad ones. Like my friend, we always think we have more time to get ourselves straightened out, and we prolong the spiritual maturity and growth that will equip us for challenging times. We become stuck, because we refuse to accept that we should be spiritually growing and moving forward.

Some of us become stuck because we’re continually looking back to past mistakes, or because we want to recapture and relive the past. No matter the pull, looking back too long will cause us to lose stamina and momentum on this race called life. If we refuse to move forward, things can become catastrophic. The Old Testament record of Lot’s wife gives us a window to see how this can play out.

Abraham is called the Father of our Believing, because he was fully persuaded that what God says He is willing and able to perform. Hebrews 11:8(NLT) says, “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.” When God told Abraham to leave his homeland, he obeyed, and his nephew, Lot, went with him. Both uncle and nephew had lots of family, servants, and livestock, so much so that the servants of the two began quarreling. Abraham finally said to Lot in Genesis 13:8-11(NLT), “8 Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! 9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.” Lot chose Sodom because it looked lush and beautiful, but it was a treacherous place and doomed to be destroyed.

Before it’s destruction, the angel of the Lord gave Lot and his family instruction and said in Genesis 19:17(NLT), “Run for your lives! And don't look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” As the sun was rising one morning, the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:25-26(NLT) says, “25 He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation. 26 But Lot's wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.”

This nameless woman, Lots wife, refused to look ahead to what God had in store for them. Clinging to what was behind, she turned and her choice to disobey and to kick faith to the curb was sealed. Many of us are doing what Lot’s wife chose to do. We’re refusing to accept the truth that we must grow continually in Christ, and this is a process that will never stop.

My friend was once involved with a woman that very much wanted to be his wife. In my estimation, she was the best thing that ever happen to him. Everyone thought so, and he knew she was a good woman, but when things became serious, he brushed her off. He wanted to be free and saw the responsibility of taking care of a woman’s heart as burdensome and too much for him. He was clinging to this rather than understanding that we’re here on this earth to love others to our greatest capacity. He failed to understand that responsibility and accountability are benchmarks of spiritual maturity in Christ, and that we can’t steward greater blessings without accepting greater responsibility.

When it comes to relationships, some of us are stuck in the same patterns we had in high-school, and we haven’t matured much emotionally since then. Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt reminds us that we must have faith in God and do as Abraham did, which is to move when God says to move. This means that our relationship with Him must be a priority in our lives, so that we learn to recognize His voice and follow His guidance. Don’t become like Lot’s wife and hold too tightly to the wrong thing. Instead, make it a commitment to be flexible to God’s Will as He leads you to greater responsibility and greater blessings. ■

“Don't Become a Pillar of Salt”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

The Questions You Can’t Seem to Get Answered

Jeremiah 33:3(ESV)
“Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things you have not known.”

Once, when I was going through a difficult time financially, I felt like I was drowning with no one to rescue me. I had been divorced for almost a year with two children to take care of. My life at the time did not resemble anything I had envisioned for myself ten years prior. Newly divorced meant that I would need to rethink the plans I once held for myself, because nothing seemed to be turning out the way I had hoped. I still loved my husband, but I was facing the reality of taking care of my children and myself. Our security felt unsteady and unreliable, and I was sinking in my mind and heart. Over and over again, often with tears strolling down my face, I asked God, “Why did you let this happen to me?”

I was bewildered with no idea why my marriage fell apart. I genuinely thought that we had achieved a unity and harmony in our marriage that other couples wished they had. How could I have gotten that so wrong? My husband wasn’t as happy as he pretended to be, and while he led me to believe our marriage was solid, for the longest time he had been waiting for an opportunity to leave. He found it when the kids went to visit their grands for the summer.

The pain wouldn’t go away, and I couldn’t shake my need to understand how things went so bad so quickly. A lot of people blame God for their sorrows. Even though I didn’t know the Lord the way I know Him today, I knew that playing the blame game was wrong and unproductive. I was looking for answers that would help me turn things around. I wanted to know how to get my husband back. My life needed to change because I didn’t think I could go on dealing with that gaping hole in my heart.

As the divorce became complicated and at times very ugly, I was angry with God. “Where are You when I need You the most!” I’d cry out. The truth is that He was right there with me. The psalmist said about the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father in Psalm 23:4(NIV), “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” God is with us no matter what we go through. He never promised that we wouldn’t have pain in life. Many of us are living testimonies that indeed we do. He helps us to endure the pain, and through His help, guidance, and comfort, we become spiritually stronger, and most importantly, our faith in Him grows.

God asks us to cut anxiety out of the picture, and to turn our sadness into thankfulness. He tells us Philippians 4:6 (NIV), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” This is instruction from our Heavenly Father about how to handle the adversities of life. So, the question is never about God forsaking or abandoning us, because He will never do that. The question is always about why we are not trusting Him the way we should. It’s about our disinterest in getting to know Him better through His Word, and our failure to let Him prove that He is the only One that cannot fail.

In John 16:33(NIV), Jesus Christ said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Our Master Jesus didn’t hide the reality of life from us. In this world we will have trouble. Sometimes those we love the most will betray and hurt us the most, but we can’t allow this to take us down. We can have peace in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He overcame the world, and through his love, power, and strength, so can we.

God has not kept us in the dark about life in the Spirit. Through His Word, He has told us everything we need to know. We want answers about why our hearts were broken and why we were mistreated. Jesus Christ gives us this answer in John 10:10(NKJV). He said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” In this verse, Jesus tells us that the devil is the thief, and he is in the world to steal, kill, and destroy, but through Jesus Christ, we are overcomers! So, the questions we can’t seem to get answered must not be about what the enemy has done, but about the victory that Jesus Christ has won for us. We should be asking him every day how to please God and live for Him. When this is our focus, we will live through the peace, strength, and power of Christ. ■

“The Questions You Cant Get Answered”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.