Faith Released – Blessings Received

Matthew 18:3
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Yesterday a young boy in the produce aisle politely asked his mom for graham crackers. His mom agreed to pick them up because he’d made a good snack choice. She told him they had twenty aisles to go through before they would find them so he would need to be patient. The boy was delighted and energized at his mom’s approval and began to count the isles as they shopped. He continually thanked his mom for the crackers and recited a long list of people he would share them with. After hearing his thankful anticipation for six aisles, his mom made a beeline for the twentieth aisle. I saw them ten minutes later. The boy was quiet and grinning ear to ear, holding his treasure box of graham crackers. I don’t know if his mom wore down from the constant confession of the boy’s faith, or if she was overjoyed at the thankful anticipation, but the reality was she chose to bless her son sooner than he expected. The boy believed, he spoke with a believing, grateful heart, and he counted the aisle numbers down in happy anticipation as he moved forward, and so he was blessed.

This young boy illustrated what we must do to release our faith to receive our answers or blessings that God promises us in His word. Our loving Father walks along side us everywhere, just waiting for the right heart and faith to be present to bless us. 

Sadly, more often I see children and adults throwing fits, whining, and complaining in hopes to wear down or manipulate the person in authority. The result is usually no, not now, not ever, or a spanking. In the Old Testament, the Israelites wandered around in the desert for forty years because of their disobedience and lack of belief. They were determined to do it their way and only a very few were ever chosen to receive the blessing of the Promised Land.  

Our personal relationship with Christ is a process. He asks us to trust Him and not the people, circumstances, situations, or feelings that encase our being. I would like to challenge you to confess from the depths of a sincere heart the following prayer every morning and evening for thirty days and share with me what has happened.

God, thank you for your love and sacrifice that has blessed me with the mercy, grace, and love I need for this day. Thank you for your protection, wisdom, guidance, and strength. I believe you are working in my life even if I can’t see it. I surrender my will to you and ask you to guard your servant and help me release my faith in thought, words, and deeds and share the blessing you have given me.

The Redwood Forest

My husband and I sauntered through the thick moist soul-penetrating air to approach the majestic Redwood Forest. The sight and lack of any sound took my breath away. It was as if nature was in silent reverence of these splendid giants. My entire being was at peace, unlike any place I have ever been.

We learned these trees can grow 300 feet high. They have the smallest cone or seed and needles of all the pines. The trees are 500-700 years old on the average, with the oldest tree recorded being 2,000 years old! I can’t comprehend this with what I know in life. These giants are in an environment that has over 100 inches of rain per year, not counting the constant mist that visits their needles daily. They cannot handle extreme temperatures, especially freezing, but their largest threat is humans. 

As I stood next to the giant root, I realized my miniature size. I touched the bark of the tree to find a soft, hairy surface similar to my own hair. Unlike my skin, the bark can be 10-12 inches deep to protect the tree. This particular tree was hollow in the middle. I sat in the center cradle of this giant Redwood in awe. I received a glimpse of being in the palm of God’s gigantic hand. How enormous He must be and how minute I am. What a contrast, what an unbelievable reality that He made me, He chose me, He knows me, and He still loves little me.

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

These magnificent Redwood Trees are a testament of God’s creation, balance and existence. Yet they weren’t created in God’s image, nor were they given His son Jesus to atone for their sins. Those great gifts were reserved for us. I don’t know about you, but I know I need over 100 inches of God’s living water, His word, per year and that I need a consistent steady mist of His love and grace daily to withstand the physical, spiritual, and mental elements that bombard us on this earth. God was, and still is, and is to come.

Where do you see the grandeur of God?

Satan is Real - But God is Victorious

Torment starts in your head and calls you to spread it throughout your body.  It is the bait of the Trojan horse of feelings, excuses, and rationales.  Come, it says, escape in alcohol, drugs, sex, or any means of self absorption … even death. You can avoid facing the pain and truth you feel.  Come, escape. 

When you feed your mind with how hard and bad your life is, you have taken the bait. Every bait has a hook (substance, attitude, hard heart) and Satan pulls us to and fro and reels us closer and closer to destruction, to confusion, hopelessness, condemnation, and believing we are unlovable and unloved. Satan steals our peace by highlighting and twisting what we perceive as our mistreatment, and the void of love in our life. We become angry, bitter, defensive and hard hearted. Our stone heart allows us to be angry at people and use blame and self defense as a justification for acting immoral, mean, and hateful to others. He begins to destroy us from the inside out - and it all starts in our heart and mind. His whole purpose is to kill, steal, and destroy.

We all live in this imperfect world and must endure circumstances, situations, and experiences that are often horrible, and we may have no control over them. Only through Christ can we choose to see ourselves as new creatures every day.  Through Christ, we take every thought captive; we can live in His love, grace, and mercy.  He has given us this power through Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. God says He will make a way, He will give us strength. He will deliver us from things, He will carry or walk with us through the fires in our lives, or He will deliver us into His arms. He knows what we need to make us rely and trust in Him. When we know who we are in Christ, we will learn and grow from every hardship that comes our way. We will look for our lesson; we will see challenges as a process of growing and not as a punishment.

God is the only one who can help, shield, protect, and arm you against Satan. When you don’t have a personal relationship with Him and don’t read His word, you are choosing to face Satan and his army naked and alone, on a hill, in the middle of a hurricane! Satan promises riches, power, and popularity, but they all blow away in the wind. He cannot promise that we will reign for all eternity as coheirs with him.  Only Christ can promise that, and He does. Satan never says he will love us and protect us. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. Only with God can we overcome the tragedies and turmoil of life.

Who will you love, trust, and believe, God or Satan? 

Sickness Reminds Me

Today I lay horizontal on my couch repeating the past two days of pain in my throat and limbs. I’ve reminisced about last week when I ran around effortlessly to chores, errands, family needs, and things I did for myself. I also recalled the continual illness of my Mom. Some days it was a feat for her to get out of bed and dressed.

One of the most amazing character traits she exuded was her ability to be grateful and not complain in any circumstance. One day I asked her why she didn’t complain. She replied, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:12) My strength comes from the Lord. Besides the day I have a Christopher Reeves day will be a bad day; until then I will be grateful and press on.”

Mom had been through great travails in her life and yet she was the poster woman of faith and gratitude. She taught me to reach for God’s strength when I am weary and I will find his peace and hope even when I don’t feel like it or see it. I pray someday this will be a second nature for me as it was for her.

I’m so grateful for my good health and the reality that my current body is not my last one. Until then I will do my best to care for the temple God’s given me to serve on the earth. Sickness reminds me of boundaries, how frail this earth suit is, and how blessed I am. 

What do you do for yourself spiritually when you are physically sick?

The Why Question?

I wasted years of my life asking why some things happened. Why did I feel so invisible? Why did I feel I was ever never good enough or special in my parents’ eyes? Why did I stay in an abusive marriage for thirteen years?

The focus of why questions in painful situations are centered on finding fault or blame. My desire to make sense of my emotional pain as a little girl and teenager left me feeling sorry for myself, ensnaring me in believe I was bad, faulty, and, worst of all, not worthy of being loved. My mind created a message that because there was no good or value in me, whatever went wrong was my fault and I never deserved or could count on anything good happening to me. I tried and tried to be good to earn love and a better life. I didn’t realize I was taking on the responsibility of other people’s bad words and behaviors. I didn’t know there was another way to think and function.

With God’s revelation, His love, and the power of His words in the Bible, I finally saw how I was wonderfully made. It took me years to understand and to believe that I was worth dying for, that the Creator and King of all Kings did this for me - not just for others, but for me. Belief in Christ and the knowledge of my worth in Him, then learning how humans are to treat one another, helped me seek other people to help me understand and learn new tools to live a healthy life. With my new worth and power through Christ, understanding, knowledge, and tools, I began to trust myself to make my own decisions and change the disaster that was my life.

Our growth and transformation takes a lifetime. While we are on this earth we are all in different places and have unique abilities, personalities, and purposes. To ask someone why in a painful situation we can’t comprehend is to smack them upside the head while they are already on the ground bleeding. We are all searching for answers. Maybe the best thing we can do is help them know they have value in the eyes of the Creator of the Universe.  If we help them learn who they are in Christ, give them tools to develop healthy ways to tackle life, and encourage and empower them to trust themselves, they will take control of their lives. It’s not our job to tell them what to do because that steals their opportunity to think and act. If you want to help, love them like Christ does first and ask better questions later.

When has the question why hurt you?