Christ Will Rescue You

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Our Faith in God Will Never Fail Us

Romans 8:37(NLT) tells us that despite our troubles and obstacles in life, "overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." Some of us are wondering how that can be, especially when our circumstances and situations don't look like victory but look more like setbacks, confusion, and disappointments. Well, if we don't believe God's Word, we might always be convinced that life is a series of one troublesome thing after the other, but when we are born-again and have God's Spirit living within, we can and should have a completely and totally different view. We can see over and above what is facing us and anchor our trust in God. He tells us in His Word that as His sons and daughters, we don't live according to what our physical eyes can perceive; we walk according to our faith in Him, because our faith in Him will never fail us.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to spend our time on earth getting to know Him better with each passing day. He tells us in Ephesians 5:1-2(NLT), "1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God." This is our target in life, to know God's Word and to wear it like a second skin. He doesn't want anything getting us down and has equipped us with everything we need to be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. We are His 'called out' ones, and He has set us apart for His very special purpose.

Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulations, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, made it clear in God's Word that on earth, we will encounter troubles. Through situations and people, the enemy will try to steal and destroy our peace, but 1John 4:4(NLT) declares, "...you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." We are God's children of light! We live in this dark world, but we are not of it. We belong to God's Kingdom! And we have the right to walk in His power and authority through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Many people try to separate themselves from the reality that we are spiritual beings having an earth experience. They will not acknowledge themselves as spiritual beings that are created by God, but the truth is that everything, from the minutest to the greatest detail, is spiritual. Our success in this life is dependent on how well we grasp this truth and use it to become grounded in our identity in Christ. God's Word tells us in Ephesians 6:10-13(NLT), "10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm." As spiritual beings, we have a spiritual enemy, and we can’t use physical weapons to defeat a spiritual enemy. We must use the spiritual weapons God has provided us. They are fail-proof, and we must learn to use them by studying God’s Word.

Romans 10:17(NKJV) tells us, “So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We cannot rise above the level of what we have been taught. We need to study God’s Word so that our faith in Him will increase. Our greatest issue is that we don’t do this. Some of us lack faith in God and often look for solutions that are outside of Christ. This is where we run into trouble. Even though it appears to our physical eyes that our enemy is a human being, this is not the truth. Our enemy is satan who works through people and situations to interrupt our relationship with God. We must see through his plots and tricks. We must understand that our authority and power comes from God, and through Christ, we can resist the enemy and stand firm in our faith in God.

Uncertainty can cause mental and emotional pressure, but light will always dispel darkness, and we have the light of Christ in us if we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior. Make a commitment to God and to yourself to grow stronger in faith by studying His Word and praying to Him often. John 3:16(NLT) declares, "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." This verse should increase our confidence in our Heavenly Father's love for us, because it shows us that His Will is for us to flourish in this life and the next. He wants us to triumph over adversities, so never stop believing in His goodness. Your faith in Him will never fail as you renew your mind to His Word and trust wholeheartedly in His love, strength, and power. ■

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.

“Our Faith in God Will Never Fail Us”, 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 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. ■

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.