Christ Will Rescue You

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

A Life that Brings God Honor

Jeremiah 13:1-11(NLT)
“This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it.” 2 So I bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on. 3 Then the Lord gave me another message: 4 “Take the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River. Hide it there in a hole in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord had instructed me.

6 A long time afterward the Lord said to me, “Go back to the Euphrates and get the loincloth I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing.

8 Then I received this message from the Lord: 9 “This is what the Lord says: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth—good for nothing! 11 As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory—an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.”

“Haven’t you learned anything!” This is what my grandmother would say to me if I made the same mistake repeatedly, especially if she had told me several times not to do something. I cringed when I saw that look of disapproval on her face. I never wanted to disappoint her. God’s people in the passage of Jeremiah 13:1-11 took a very different approach. They didn’t think twice about the harm they’d do to their relationship with God by repeatedly disappointing Him. They were consumed with their own agendas. They did very wicked things that were against His Will, and they refused to listen to Heavenly Father. Romans 8:7 tells us that this is a mindset that is an enemy against Him, and it is the worse place to be in life.

As we mature into adults, life becomes a bit more complicated than when we were children. Everything was much simpler when we relied on our parents and caretakers, but as we grow and develop, our expectations change, and we want more. Wanting more is a sure sign that more will be required of us. We’ll have greater responsibility, and we will be held to a higher level of accountability. For many of us, this is where fear kicks in as well, because we feel as though we don’t have what it takes to measure up to life’s’ demands. This fear can also cross over into relationships with the significant people in our lives.

We all have an idea of how we want things to turn out. The kind of house we want to live in, the kind of person we want to marry, the job, the car…we see ourselves having all these things. They are included in our dreams and aspirations but acquiring them isn’t nearly as easy as we imagine, and sometimes the things we want do not line up with God’s will and plan.

God always wants what’s best for us. He tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in Him with all our hearts and don’t lean on our own understanding. He knows the path we should take in life and He will direct us on this path if we will acknowledge Him in everything we do. This is where some of us fall off the wagon. We don’t acknowledge God’s power, guidance, and provision. Like the people in Jeremiah 13:1-11, some of us stubbornly follow our own desires and worship other people, relationships, and things rather than the Creator who made them.

When we take this kind of attitude and behavior, nothing works out the way we want it to, and it is because we will not listen to God. We must change this. God reminded His people living in Old Testament times of the covenant He had made with their ancestors. This covenant was that as long as they worshipped Him and kept His commandments, they would be a blessed people. But they continued to do as their ancestors did and worshipped idol gods. They would not turn from their wicked ways. The world we live in today may not look like it did two thousand years ago, but God’s Word and Will has not changed. He demands obedience.

Because of what our Lord and Savior accomplished through his sacrifice and resurrection, today you and I live under a new and better covenant. His blood was shed for the remission of our sins, and through Jesus Christ, we have been made clean and given the gift of righteousness. There’s nothing more we have to do but choose to live for God. He desires an intimate relationship with each of us.

The loincloth used in the record of God’s instruction to Jeremiah was indicative of what happens when our lives are not used for God’s glory. Our dreams and aspirations turn to mush. They rot and our lives fall apart, but through Christ we can change this. We must choose to let the Lord lead us, even when things don’t look and feel the way we want them too. We must be confident in His love for us and follow the example of Christ so that our lives will be for God’s glory and bring honor to His name. ■

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, April 28, 2020

God Is Always Close

Psalm 23:4-5; Even when I walk through the darkest valley I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5; You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.

As Children of God, we don’t have to be afraid of what’s to come, nor do we have to fear the unknown, our only requirement is to trust God as He instructs us in the scripture in Psalm 23. Heavenly Father wants us to know that He is with us always, He will never leave us nor forsake us, in good times and in the bad times. When we need comfort, He’s with us, when we need protection, He’s right there beside us. If these last couple of weeks has shown us nothing else, it's that the world will constantly bring about the unexpected - but that’s ok, we don’t have to walk around shaking in our boots. We are complete in Him through our Lord and Savior, He knows all and sees all.

Our darkest valley can be found in how unpredictable life can be. One of my dear friends saw just how quickly life can shift and change when he got a phone call from one of his children. He'd been in a car accident and was arrested for DUI. At the time, his son had just graduated from college with a degree in criminal justice and had applied to the police academy. Months later, his son was faced with mounting court fines but he'd also have to withdraw his application from the academy. His son's dream of having a career in law enforcement was slowly diminishing and was becoming more and more out of his reach, all because of one bad decision.

The unexpected can shift a change in our circumstances so quick it can literally take our breath away. Life is constantly proving that in the blink of an eye, all can change. God has given us His Word to help us be strong in the midst of uncertainty and change. Isaiah 40:29, ”He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.”

We are God's children, this means we should be able to handle any and all circumstances no matter what the situation. Being prepared is the key, it's the inevitable life-saver that can make the difference between becoming lost in a world of change or being equipped to handle change. Of course, this is not always the case because our shields of faith are not always active and working. When the unexpected strikes a blow to our every-day way of life, we don't have to become or feel powerless but this is also what will sometimes happen.

If the Word of God is not rooted in our hearts and minds we can become easy prey to believe or think we're powerless and lack the necessary skills to overcome adversity. The truth is, we are already equipped with victory, for 1 John 4:4 declares, Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

So, we should never become rocked by anything that happens in this world, we have the ability to overcome and it’s all due to the love of God at work within us. Although this is the truth, but some of us will still struggle to believe in God's love, and in case you do, let’s understand that there are ways to be proactive. So be encouraged and not easily shaken by what's happening in the world, for God is with us and He's the one in control.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

You May Be Moving Too Fast

James 4:6-7(NKJV)
“6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Maturity in Christ begs us to consider that a physical fall might be an indication of a spiritual danger—the kind that robs you and hinders your relationship with God.

The psalmist, David, said in Psalm 56:13(NKJV), “For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” It is believed that David was as young as thirty-years-old when he wrote this psalm under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Even at such a young age, he had many challenges, and he was confident that God had gotten him through everything he had faced and would face in the future. He knew that God had delivered him from death and kept his feet from falling. This is something all of us must pay close attention to, because many believers are falling in their faith. They are stumbling both physically and spiritually, and both of these are related.

In a very literal sense, most of us understand what it means to fall. This is why David’s words resonate with us. Not only can falling be harmful to us physically, with broken bones and bruised bodies, but it is often an embarrassing thing as well. So, we associate several attributes to an accidental fall, and this helps to cement our understanding of what a catastrophe it can be to fall spiritually.

When I was a youngster, we played outside, running and jumping about. Crying to my grandmother over skinned knees and elbows was a common occurrence. She’d often scold us and say, “See, you were going to fast, not paying attention to what you were doing.” She was right. Her scolding was not to make our fun any less, but to teach us that even when we’re having fun, we must be careful.

Any accidental fall can be a warning sign that we’re not paying attention to our own spirit, and we’ve veered too far from the path we’re destined by God to travel. A literal fall is often a wakeup call that we’re moving too fast; we need to slow down, think about what we’re doing, and make a change. Most people don’t recognize this, and it is because they don’t see that everything has a reason, and this reason is spiritual. We can’t put anything in life in a separate compartment and exclude it from having a spiritual reality. Again, everything, from the smallest to the greatest, is spiritual. If we don’t wake up and smell the coffee, we might fall several times before we recognize that our stumbling is because we haven’t taken steps in the right direction.

Sometimes a wrong action can accelerate our speed towards something detrimental, and this causes our lives to spiral out of control. Sinful and negative thoughts and behaviors over a long period of time also have the potential to cause both a physical and a spiritual fall. Again, it’s a wakeup call to return to the right path. And we can’t behave as if we’re oblivious. Many of us know the difference between right and wrong. We learned it from our parents, faith community, and even our teachers, but as we become adults, some of us abandon what we know to be right. We think we can be independent from God, and we think our way is right for us.

Proverbs 14:12 (NLT) tells us, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” Many of us are moving so fast or we’re so into our routines that we can’t see that internally, we’ve changed lanes. The remedy for this is to go to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must heed God’s warning and instruction in James 4:6-7, so that the devil doesn’t continue to trip us up! We must not let arrogance cancel the humility that is needed to seek God in all things. We can’t have an attitude that if it looks right, then it must be right! WRONG! A fall is guaranteed if we’re so prideful we can’t see correction or direction. Consider that if you fall physically, it’s a warning that you might be in danger of falling spiritually. You may be moving too fast in the wrong direction. Before it happens again, let humility keep your feet from falling so that you walk before God in the light. ■

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Kick Fear to the Curb!

Who are you when no one else is looking? The answer will determine your character. Answer this question - Are you someone that is easily tempted, or can you look temptation in the face and turn away?

James 1:13-14(NLT), “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.”

Many Christians have faced challenging decisions in their lives. Some chose to give in to temptation and have regretted this decision more than they’d care to admit. One of the defining characteristics of temptation is that it can only lead to chaos, pain, and confusion. 1Corinithians 14:33 tells us that God is not the author of confusion. Therefore, we can be certain that temptation doesn’t come from Him. It comes from the devil, and we need only look at Adam and Eve to see that satan has been using temptation to trick God’s people from the very beginning.

There are many of us that operate out of a spirit of fear and not the love of God. We may not realize we’re doing this because we were never taught the difference between the two. James 1:13-14 tells us very straightforwardly that God does not tempt His people. He doesn’t play games just to see how we respond. He knows everything there is to know about us already. He knows our past, present, and our future. He knows our strengths, and He knows our weaknesses. He is not going to find out anything new about our lives that He doesn’t already know. So Heavenly Father is too loving, too intelligent, and too powerful to tempt His people. To think that He would do this is to think outside of His love.

God tells us in Ephesians 4:23 to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. This means we must change the way we think so that our thoughts line up with the thoughts of Jesus Christ. We can’t realign our thoughts to the mind of Christ if we think outside of God’s love. Thinking outside of God’s love means that instead of thinking about Him as a God that is full of goodness, mercy, and grace, many of us think of Him as a God who punishes and harms. This causes us to operate in fear instead of love. It is a train of thinking that allows fear to slip through the door. Without realizing it, we might begin to think that God doesn’t want the best for us or that He withholds blessings from us.

1John 4:18(NLT) says, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” This verse tells us very clearly that love and fear cannot dwell in the same place. One of them will have the rule of the house, and we decide which one that will be. We should always choose God’s love, and to believe wholeheartedly in His love, care, grace, and mercy.

Fear is the quicksand of life—once you give in to it, it will change the trajectory of your life. You can spiral downward very quickly when you allow fear to be the driving force behind your decisions. In the record of Joseph in the Old Testament, we can see an example of the fortitude necessary to recognize and resist temptation when it rears its ugly head.

The favor of God was upon Joseph’s life. Even though he also endured some harsh circumstances, God’s favor caused him to be very successful, and folks took notice of this. One of those folks was Potiphar, a member of the powerpack during that time; he was Pharaoh’s captain of the guard. Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife wanted him for herself. She didn’t hold back her advances towards Joseph and tried to seduce and pressure him to sleep with her. Joseph could have been easily taken in by her advances and given in to temptation. He might have gotten away with giving in without Potiphar ever finding out. Or Joseph could have let fear rule his decision and been afraid to turn her away. But the truth is that he would not concede to fear or pleasure. Joseph knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. He did everything to stay out of her way and never gave in to temptation.

Heavenly Father tells us to trust in Him with all our hearts, and to know that He will never leave us or forsake us. If we trust Him, He will direct our paths. We don’t ever have to fear that we might miss out on something good when we follow the Lord’s way. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that He is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

James 1:14 reminds us that temptation comes from our own desires. If we are being honest with ourselves, we sometimes want the thing that is not good for us. We are afraid to do without them. And when we give in to these temptations, we are giving in to fear. This is a decision that leads to our lives spiraling downward and things becoming out of control. God’s goal for us is to live the example of Jesus Christ so that we can receive all the blessings God has stored up for us. We must have a made-up mind and a heart that is eager to do what is right. No matter the cost, kick fear to the curb! Let’s resist temptations and stop fear from ruling our choices and decisions. If we do this, Heavenly Father will reward us because we will have chosen to honor Him above all else. ■

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

A New Heart

Ezekiel 36:26-27(NLT)

“26; And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27; And I will put my Spirt in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

The prophecy in Ezekiel 36:26 to God’s people was given to them at a time when they had their hopes on restoration. Like many of us living today, they had done some things that were not pleasing to Heavenly Father, but He was merciful to forgive them. It wasn’t about the wrong that they did, it was about the glory of who God is. While this prophecy was given to those living in Old Testament times, thousands of years ago, its message is of course extremely timely and meaningful to believers that are living today. We are facing many challenges, and some of us are filled with worry and anxiety. We need God to do for us what He did for Old Testament believers. We need a new heart and a new spirit, so that we will trust and obey His Word.

The people of Israel were in captivity because of their sinful behavior and their choice to turn away from God. Their hearts were hardened against Him, and they constantly ignored His commandments. Instead of worshipping Him, they chose to worship idol gods. They were a rebellious people and their behavior brought shame to God’s Holy name. They did not deserve His grace and mercy, but He gave it to them anyway. This tells us much about the tender heart of our loving Heavenly Father.

We might look at our own lives and think to ourselves that we’ve fallen short. Some of us are doing things that we know are wrong. We’ve tried to stop, and we tell God each time that we’re going to do better, but we end up messing up all over again. 2Corinthians 12:9(KJV) tells us, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” God’s strength works best in weakness. He knows everything that can be known about every person living or that has ever lived. He knows about all the wrong that we do, but this doesn’t keep Him from loving us. He promises in His Word that if we’ll trust Him, He’ll never abandon us. He desires to come to our aid.

Many of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s goodness and mercy. His grace is why we are still on this earth. His grace is sufficient unto us, but as those who want to love and honor Him, we can’t continue to sin over and over again without repenting. We should never treat the Lord this way, but instead we must wake up to His love and repent for our sins.

I had a conversation with a woman that once had such zeal and heart for God, but her commitment dwindled towards Him. She and her ex-husband had been divorced three years when her children chose to leave her home to go live with their father. She was devastated. Repeatedly she asked herself why God allowed this to happen. She was angry, because in her eyes she had no warning or time to prepare for such a heart break.

Most of us can sympathize with anyone going through something like this. Her feelings of betrayal were on a very deep level, and she felt that no amount of words could take away her heart break. This beloved woman was in need of a new heart, and only God can give it to her. She couldn’t understand the ‘why’ of her pain, and because she couldn’t, she blamed everything on God. Even though she did this, He still loves her and will help her if she will only humble herself and ask.

When you don’t know what to do or you feel bewildered or disappointed by life, God’s promise in Ezekiel 36 will provide all that you need. There’s nothing God can’t and won’t do for His people, and we must trust this. Romans 5:5 tells us that our hope in Christ will never lead to disappointment or shame. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, God brings newness to our lives, and all He asks is that we rely on His strength, take comfort in His love, and trust His promises. ■

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Where Love and Life Begin

1 John 4:7-11; Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8; Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9; This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10; This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11; Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Do you believe God loves you - Do you feel His love for you, or are you not too sure about this aspect of your life? If love is not present in your life, a vital part of your life is missing because it is an essential part of a person’s life. God loves you and he wants you to know what love is about.

Love is more than an emotion-it’s a commitment and it’s also a decision. When you love somebody, you can discern whether or not they truly love you. It allows you to know deep down inside whether or not their love is genuine or not. God has given us this kind of radar within. One thing to remember if you don’t realize it, love comes with a cost – it is not free. Love will always demand something of us.

You have to walk the walk and talk the talk when you say you love someone. It’s a requirement. And because love comes with demands, some people are willing to forgo this because they don’t have it within to stretch to that degree. These are the kinds of folk that will miss out on what life is all about.

Genesis 1:1; God’s creation was an act of love.

Making the decision to love includes the everyday little things that you often do for one another, especially when you’re not feeling loving. Making love a decision also means allowing yourself to be loved. It is about the choice to be vulnerable and put yourself out there to let another person in. This other person will see the good, the bad, your strengths and weaknesses.

When a person really and truly feels love, they feel a confident and it enables a certain level of completeness emotionally. However, you can never be under the illusion that feelings won’t and don’t change. That’s why choosing to love is so vital because action is behind the feeling.

Deuteronomy 11:26; Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! 27; You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. 28; But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

You love God by being obedient to His Word. To love God is to live free - love is always thinking about the other person. The very act of falling in love with someone is a beautiful and generous feeling. I believe it is because you’re actually giving to someone. It’s an unselfish act and it can be one of the most fulfilling as well.

Think of it this way; imagine someone has a great need and for whatever reason, hasn’t been able to take care of it for themselves. Then out of nowhere, you bless them by giving to them what they need. It’s such a rewarding feeling. Our Heavenly Father has given us this kind of capacity, simply through loving from the core your heart. Life and love begins in your life when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You’ve got everything when you have the ability to love other people and receive love.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

He Didn’t Say “I’m Sorry!”

Psalm 27:10-14 (NIV)

10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. 11 Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. 13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Amelia and Gregory had just gotten engaged and as they began planning their wedding, Gregory asked who she wanted to walk her down the aisle. Without even blinking an eye, she said “My father”. Gregory was surprised because she had never mentioned her father. Amelia was the daughter of a prominent business owner in Washington D.C. Before his success, when he was younger, he and Amelia’s mother fell in love. Their relationship became strained during her pregnancy and they never married.

With the help of her grandmother and aunts, she was raised by her mother. Eventually, Amelia’s father married someone else and they had children of their own. As she grew up, her mother didn’t talk much about her father, fearing that it would hurt Amelia to find out that he had abandoned her and in fact had another family. In her early twenties and with dreams of him walking her down the aisle on her wedding day, Amelia decided to try to connect with him.

One afternoon, Amelia finally decided to pursue the leads she had gathered from years of quietly searching for clues. Some time ago, she came across a newspaper article her mother kept in her bible and an old love letter her father had written to her mother when Amelia was an infant. She searched his name online and finally ended up with a possible phone number and address, but she never imagined the decision whether to actually reach out to him would be as difficult as it was.

For some people it’s tough to admit that the emotional neglect of a parent during childhood can lead to emotional issues as adults. The fear of being rejected looms large, and because of it, many of us would rather not address the pain. The emptiness can feel so deep that you believe only the love of the parent can fill it. The reality is that all of us have unresolved issues of pain, and despite what we think no human being has the power or capacity to take this pain away, but Jesus Christ offers us a solution. He tells us in Matthew 11:28-30(NLT), “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Psalm 27:10 teaches us that even when our fathers and mothers disappoint us, we can take refuge in God’s love. Hebrews 13:5 says that He will never leave or forsake us. His love is never ending, and His mercy endures forever.

Amelia was obsessed with learning why her father didn’t pursue a relationship with her. Did he love her? The need to know the answers finally gave her the courage to call him. It was nerve wracking at first, but they talked and decided to meet in person. She felt better for having reached out, but although he said he wanted to build a relationship with her going forward, he never said he was sorry for not being in her life.

She realized that no matter how hurtful it is, there are some things we have to let go. Sometimes what we envision in our heads doesn’t line up with reality, but Heavenly Father will never disappoint us. He will lovingly father us through the abandonment, disappointment, and sadness that our biological parents sometimes cause. Through the whole experience of meeting her dad, her appreciation deepened for the love of God that was demonstrated by the family that made numerous sacrifices and raised her all those years. She decided to have to her mother walk her down the aisle. ■