Christ Will Rescue You: February 2024

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Vengeance Is the Lord’s

Romans 12:19(ESV)
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”" Our Heavenly Father is a Righteous Judge, and His judgments are infallibly correct. No human being has this capacity.”

I walked out of the grocery store the other day and saw a woman getting in the passenger seat of a vehicle. The man behind the wheel began a shouting match with her as soon as she sat down. He was so loud that it could be heard by virtually everyone in the area. Expletives flying one right after the other, and then a slap to the back of her head. She didn’t seem bothered, as if it was common occurrence. “They’ll probably be all over each other before the end of the day.” Two seasoned ladies remarked after they had witnessed the encounter as well. I chuckled a bit at their candor but felt uneasy as I continued walking to my vehicle.

How common this has become, equating abuse to passionate love. It has subtly eked into how many of us view significant relationships. This can be damaging to the way that we see and treat ourselves, because ultimately viewing abuse as any form of love can filter into what we will and won't accept as a potential healthy and loving partner. We are less likely to pick up on red flags that would signal danger to our wellbeing, but we can sharpen our discernment if we lean on the Holy Spirit. The goal we should hold for ourselves is to trust wholeheartedly in God’s desire for our happiness and partner with it. We need to guard our hearts from the vicious cycle of abusive relationships, because they chip away at the quality of our existences.

The addictive aspect of abuse often taps into a rush of adrenaline, and this can send the wrong message to our minds and hearts about how love should feel and behave. Some spouses get caught up in the grip of this mixture of emotions, passion, and abuse, and they continue to remain in the marriage even after years of being abused by their partners. It becomes a trap, but we need to know that there is a way out of it.

All of us make mistakes. They can be as simple as taking too long in the grocery store or forgetting to purchase our spouse's favorite food. Maybe we're not as tidy as we could be or it's possible there are aspects of our personality that others find irritating. All of us miss the mark at times, but God still loves us. Even when our mistakes are doozies, He will forgive our shortcomings and our sin if we earnestly ask Him. Romans 8:35-37 (NLT) tells us, "35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

No one has the right to take their frustration out on us for any reason. Vengeance belongs to God, and He is the only one worthy to judge what is right, true, holy, and pure. Many of us have suffered things in life that have left us with a lot of shame. Because of this, we want to be loved deeply. We desperately want compassion, and even if it is only received in small, infrequent moments, we tell ourselves it’s enough. It’s not enough. It will not satisfy God's standard for how we should be loved.

His Word teaches us in Romans 14:10-13(MSG) says, "10-12 So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: “As I live and breathe,” God says, “every knee will bow before me; Every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God.” So mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. 13 Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is."

Don’t allow someone to get in the way of your peace and joy and make your life more difficult than it needs to be. Pray for discernment. Get into God’s Word and learn more about Jesus Christ so that you will grow stronger in him. You’ll find that when your mind is renewed to the truth, and your heart is full of love and loyalty to God, there will be a shift in the way that others perceive your strength. More importantly, God will transform you from the inside out as you cling to Him and learn to receive and give the love of Jesus Christ. ■

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 20, 2024

Chasing Tears or Chasing God

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

With tears streaming down her face, Barbara Jane angrily slammed the door to her boyfriend’s car after she got out of it. He slowly pulled off, wondering if Barbara Jane was going to be as vengeful as she had been in the past when they argued. Often, she'd shut down for weeks and wouldn't speak to him. Barbara Jane was unaware that her grandmother had watched the whole thing from her living room window. When her marriage fell apart after only a year, Barbara Jane moved in with her Grandma Ida. She also quickly moved on to another relationship. In her adult life, she had never been without a man in her life. Even in high school and college, she always had a boyfriend and had never spent time being on her own.

Barbara Jane's mother had gotten her addiction under control in recent years, but the relationship between them had been estranged since Barbara Jane was a teenager. Her father tried his best to be supportive, but her grandmother was the constant in her life. Ida had watched her granddaughter get her heart broken many times, but she was noticing an anger and bitterness in Barbara Jane that she hadn't seen before. One evening, after she had prepared Barbara Jane's favorite meal, she told her that she wanted them to have a talk.

Some form of education or training is required to get a diploma, a degree, a driver's license, and a job. We recognize on a very basic level that in life, we need to educate ourselves to advance, but when it comes to our spiritual walk with Christ and relationships with others, many of us drop the ball. We think we know enough to navigate these areas alone. That isn't true. We desperately need God's wisdom in order to truly advance in life. Proverbs 4:7(KJV) says, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." He tells us here that wisdom is primary in life, and God supplies the wisdom we need by giving us His Word.

God's Word is an infallible road map for navigating life on earth, and it contains wisdom and guidance regarding every aspect of our existence. It is our guide to life. 2Timothy 3:16(NLT) tells us, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." Without the useful teaching of what is true, we make errors and wrong choices, and these errors and wrong choices often result in heartbreak.

Jesus Christ commanded us, as God's sons and daughters, to humble ourselves under God. This means that we must have the humility to acknowledge and accept that we can't navigate successfully through life without knowing God and knowing the wisdom that comes from His Word. We desperately need His help.

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.” God is the Leader and we're the followers. He's the One with the plan, and the greatest gift we can give to ourselves is to follow His plan. This is going to require us to read and study His Word so that we have an understanding of what God says is right or wrong for our lives. You might say, "I've tried reading the Bible, but I don't understand it." This is one of the many ways that the Holy Spirit helps us. Jesus Christ said in John 16:13(NLT), "When the Spirit of truth comes, he 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." God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, lives inside every born-again believer. When we pray for understanding before we read God's Word, the Spirit will help us comprehend the scriptures.

If we pay attention to the Spirit's guidance and leadership, he will also let us know when our decisions and choices are in agreement with God's plan for us. So, before we decide that a man is the one for our lives, we need to hear it from God. Without His greenlight, we shouldn't move ahead. If we do, we could waste precious time and resources, and end up with a situation that causes us to go backward instead of forward. None of us should want to do this.

Barbara Jane anticipated that one of her grandmother's serious talks was coming when she spotted her fav, a newly baked caramel cake, on the counter. At the end of grandmother's sage advice, she asked her, “Which will make you happier, chasing tears or chasing God?” We chase tears when we neglect or refuse to seek the Lord first. Many women of God look for a man to make them complete, and when we do this, we will always be disappointed. Only God can make us complete, and He has done this through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must trust this with our whole hearts, and make God our first priority, not what we can or can't receive from another human being.

Our blessed Redeemer commands us in Matthew 6:33(NKJV), "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Seeking God and the wisdom of His Word must be our first priority and practice. It can never be number two, but again, always number one. Don't make relationships a project of trial and error. Trust God to help you live your best life. Humble yourself under His great power. Spend time in prayer and study His Word so that you will grow in your relationship with Him. Then you'll learn to recognize His voice, hear His instructions, and remain on the path of His wisdom and blessings for your life. ■

“Chasing Tears or Chasing God”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Your Way Out

1 Peter 5:10 (NLT)
“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”

Looking for a way out of your troubling circumstances? Fear, loneliness, and hopelessness creeping up on you? You’re not the first person to feel this way, and you won’t be the last. 1 Peter 5:9(NLT) tells us, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” No matter what we face in life, no matter how difficult or tough it may seem, God promises that we have the victory in Jesus Christ. If God says it, it must be so!

All of us have times in our relationships where we become weary. Sometimes, the issues of our partners are weightier than we expected, and this can make us feel boxed in. When those issues are domestic violence and abuse, the toll on our total well-being can be overwhelming, but can be comforted in the reality that we don’t have to go through it alone. There are many resources available for those of us that are being abused, and we should take full advantage of them. We must also know that the best gift we can give ourselves is to pray to God for help. When we do, He often answers our prayers through other people. He works through them to help us at just the right time. So, we should never hesitate to ask our Heavenly Father for help, nor should we hesitate to accept the help He sends.

We should also be aware that our internal healing is also very necessary. It's possible that the person we're in a relationship with had red flags from the very beginning, but we either ignored or didn't recognize them. Maybe we thought these things would get better, or that the person's love for us would overshadow any deficiencies. Whatever the case, it is very likely that we need increased wisdom, so that we make better choices in the future, and we learn how to discern the Will of God for our lives. Our Heavenly Father doesn't ever want anyone to be abused in any way, and when we learn more about His love, we will gain greater confidence in life.

So, it isn't uncommon that we need to be strengthened internally to feel better and stronger about seeking help. God tells us in Isaiah 41:10 (NLT), “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” God is our strength, and it is important that we feed our minds and souls with the promises of His Word so that we can be empowered by His truth.

Some of us look at the current state of our lives, and we think, “How did I get here?” It can be pretty shocking, but we must not blame ourselves or sink into self-condemnation. We must remember that we have the strength of God within us because the Holy Spirit lives within. God's Word teaches us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20(NLT), “19 Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” Our Heavenly Father has trouble covered in grace on all sides, and His Spirit is in us helping us beyond what we can imagine.

It’s a great strategy if we can decrease the amount of focus that we place on our circumstances and situations and increase the focus we place on God. He never disappoints us, and He will never leave or forsake us. Romans 8:28 tells us that He will cause all things to work together for our good if we will give Him our trust and honor. He can heal us way down deep, where we need it most, because His Spirit is in us, and the Spirit will always be our way out of any trouble or problem we face.■