How do we know when we are blessed by God? What does it mean to be “blessed”? One definition, according to Dictionary.com, says “a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.” So by definition being blessed is when God gives us favor and gifts.
Throughout this series, we have looked at how we are tested in day-to-day life, what to do when we struggle with God’s plan, how to face conflict, and the importance of standing firm in our faith in the midst of it all. But what comes of all this hardship? Why is standing firm and remaining faithful so important?
When we remain steadfast, constant, and firm in our faith it does not go unnoticed. God sees us keep faith and blesses us through the muck and grind of life in so many different ways. So often we think that being blessed means we will have more money, more ‘things’, perfect relationships, or fewer struggles. We think that by being blessed life will somehow just be easier. This is not what it is to be blessed, though.
Being blessed starts inwardly
Throughout scripture we see a constant theme that explains as we remain steadfast in faith we will experience increased peace and joy that surpasses our human understanding. This peace and joy then overflows out of us into our outward selves and henceforth to other areas of our lives, provisions, and relationships, which are then increasingly blessed as well.
So, to be blessed is really to receive God’s peace and joy, and to be loved, cared for, provided for, and transformed by God. It is God’s fingerprints on every day of our lives. Not only in the big things but also in every little detail of every day, shaped and molded for you by His hands. It is all a blessing.
As we let the blessing of God’s goodness transform our hearts, we begin to see all the additional ways God blesses our lives every day. Soften your heart, open your eyes, and see the wonders God has placed in your path, and through your faithfulness watch those blessings grow.
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You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in God.
But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
There is a strange peace in knowing that any moment could be your last and trusting God with your life nonetheless. This peace has the power to heal, humble, transform, and bring you closer to your calling than you ever imagined was possible. When faced with this strange peace, we must stand firm in it, knowing God is with us and will carry us through in His will and way.
The story of Job tells of circumstances where Job needed to make a decision to trust God, look forward to his heavenly fate whenever it may come, and put his family, friends, and self in God’s hands without wavering. God had taken care of him all his life and now all that he had was stripped away, his friends turned on him, his wife told him to curse God and die, his health was in terrifying condition. Job lost everything, was faced with what seemed to be certain death, and even still Job did something exceptional. Job stood firm in his faith and trust that God was in control, even in his terrible circumstances.
This week I found myself looking to Job for guidance in my own circumstances. I realized that God was trying to teach me to trust Him with my life and with my death, whenever that may come, and even beyond that; that whatever comes, my faith must stand firm in who God is; and that I must always trust God to be in control, no matter what my circumstances are.
I asked God what He wanted me to do and I kept hearing a resounding “do you trust me?” I chose to stand firm in my faith, in who I know God to be, and in the fact that God is in control of everything. No matter where He leads me I am going there with His blessing.
When we are faced with a challenge, suffering, fear, or even possible or certain death in this life we must stand firm in the fact that God is in charge. Oftentimes when we’re seeking it too much we do not see the point, blessing, or lesson and we fail to give God the reigns and let Him handle our situation.
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Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you."
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
When Christ walked the earth it was incredibly dangerous to be a follower of Jesus. Even before Christ came people faced peril and ridicule when they talked about God and their faith in Him. When Christ gave the disciples their great commission, He told them they would face trouble in this world while following Him. They would be challenged.
Our culture is what we call the "1st world" may not be a threat of death at every turn when we follow Jesus, but we still face challenges in our walk with Him. We face loved ones, friends, enemies, and strangers alike who will try to sway our faith in God. We trudge through slander, ridicule, loss of relationships, harassment, bullying, assaults, and all kinds of abuse from people because we choose to believe that God is God, scripture is truth, and Jesus died and rose again to save us from our sins. The world around us is ripe with those who will gladly rip your faith to shreds if you let them.
What do we do when we face challenges?
So what do we do when we face these challenges? How do we respond when loved ones and friends discourage us in our faith? What do we do when we face loss and hurt for the sake of our relationship with our Creator?
Rejoice when you are challenged
The first thing we do is rejoice. Rejoice because when we face hostility and suffering for the sake of our faith, generally that means we're doing something right. We are called to be different, to be set apart. One of the best ways to know you're set apart for Christ is when others who don't walk with Jesus notice and lash out because of it. Just as Christ suffered we will suffer, and through it we will glorify God when we respond with praise to our Father in the midst of the hurt and danger.
Pray when you are challenged
The next thing to do is pray. Be grateful to God for the opportunity to shine His light, and lift that gratefulness to Him. Just like we discussed last week, tell Him all that you're feeling, experiencing, and struggling with. Suffering for His sake is by no means easy. When we lift our hurt feelings, struggles, and sins to Him, and pray over our relationships that are tough or at risk, we allow Him to give us His grace, mercy, and love so that we may exemplify Him to those who try to condemn us. Seek to empty yourself to God so that He can fill you up with Himself, equipping you for the battle ahead.
Set the example when you are challenged
Lastly, set the example. Now that you've rejoiced and given it to God, use what God fills you up with to live in the image of Christ. Don't just walk the walk; talk the talk. It's not an easy thing to be loving toward those who seek to tear you down, but do it anyway because that is what Jesus would do, and what God calls on us to do.
Praise God for trusting us with these opportunities to glorify and exemplify Him. Let go and let God fill you up with His goodness. Use what God fills you up with to glorify Him, strengthen you, and share the love, truth, mercy and grace of Jesus.
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'“Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow, but that stop flowing in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels. ' Job 6:14-17
“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.” John 16:33
And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:41-44
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3:12
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:13
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, Philippians 1:29
At the end of what shouldn’t have felt like a stressful day, I felt so depleted, defeated, and just utterly exhausted both mentally and physically. There was no reason at all for it. I had spent the whole day relaxing with my family, taking in those little snuggle moments, taking advantage of the couch and our newfound love of Disney+ for the day. When bedtime came around, I was so ready for bed I felt impatient for it. I made a conscious effort not to rush my kiddo off to bed, but to take our time, got her newly washed sheets on her bed, and looked forward to crawling into my own newly washed sheets and getting sucked into a good book. I was trying to intentionally be aware of how blessed I was even though my mind was total chaos.
The ups and downs of anxiousness for sleep but patience for the little moments all at once really made me stop in my tracks. As soon as the kiddo was tucked into bed, the house was silent. The noises of clothes drying and dishes washing added to a comforting stillness that had suddenly washed over my home. At that moment I was no longer anxious for my bed. All at once I had a sudden peace wash over me and it hit me - I was not anxious for sleep, I was anxious for peace.
I’d been praying for peace all day long, asking God to please slow me down and help me take full advantage of this gift called time. Help me to be still and trust in Him and His grace and provisions. I had it in my mind from the moment I woke up that I would take the whole day to relax with my family, and many times that was tested and temptations arose to completely strip my focus from the precious moments.
In all, though, at the end of the day, I see that the wash of exhaustion was a couple of things. It slowed me down today and gave me a sense of ease, even when tough stuff came up it was not the kind of exhaustion that made me overly emotional; it was the kind that made me stop and think more before responding to difficulty. It was also an answer to my prayers; for God to help me be still.
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It's so important we remember that God rarely answers our prayers the way we expect Him to. Sometimes God gives us an answer in a way that at first seems like a burden, but when we stop and clear the complaining away, get past the groaning, and allow ourselves to be realigned with Him we see that it was a blessing all along.
Now as I get ready to tuck myself in for the night, I am thanking God for answering my prayers in ways I didn’t notice or comprehend at the time. God is always with us, always working, always helping and guiding. The closer we get to Him, the more natural it is to hear Him and follow His guidance without even necessarily realizing we are doing it. But also, the closer we get to Him the more we see the blessings in the chaos.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Last week we dove into some different ways we are tested throughout life, and how we should respond to being tested. Another important thing we can learn from the story of Job is that we will not always understand why we're going through what we're going through.
Job does not hide the fact he is confused, upset and in pain. In fact he expresses it straight to God. Throughout the turmoil Job continued to seek God and remained firm in what he knew about God's nature and promises. He was upset about what he felt God was doing to him, confused about why he was being so brutally treated, and in great agony of many kinds but he still clung to what he knew about God.
What do you know about who God is?
What do you know about His character?
God is faithful, always keeps His promises, never leaves or forsakes us, is in control of everything, loves us without fail, is patient, merciful, our provider, and always has a bigger plan than what we can see.
When you don’t understand your circumstances, talk to God about it. It's okay to not understand and to be honest with God about our feelings, and above all we should cling to what we know to be true about God’s character and promises when we don’t understand His ways. When we accept that His plan is higher than us we're better in tune with Him, more at peace with our God-given path, and more thankful for our God-given purpose, promises and provisions. When we try to understand His ways we get distracted from what we know already.
Share your worries, frustrations, confusions and pains with God and lean on who you know He is instead of His ways that you don't understand.
' "Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water. For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes."'
'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. '
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
As our world is suffering in a variety of ways due to the current pandemic of COVID-19 we are all being plunged into a world of fear, selfishness, panic, judgment, chaos, and carelessness. Our faith is being tested at a capacity we are unfamiliar with. What we need right now is something so few of us are experiencing - peace.
Peace is found when we trust God and allow ourselves to be emptied of fear, panic, and worry in order for Him to fill us up with His peace. Trusting God is a very human struggle we all face. In order for our trust and faith in God to grow, we will be tested.
We are being tested every single day, from little things to big things. Testing is all about growth and strength training. As we endure testing in our lives we are being refined into who God intended us to be. We are being prepared for eternity in His kingdom.
There are many ways we are tested throughout our lives.
Tested in Selflessness
Do you focus more on your wants or the wants and needs of others? Do you take the time to help others, or worry more about helping yourself? We are called to be selfless, but must constantly fight our selfish nature to become more like Christ and find peace.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Do you give only when you have more than enough, share your time only when it suits you, or give only when you get something in return? We're called to give even when we have little and to expect nothing in return. God provides what we have so that we can be generous toward others. We are more blessed in giving than receiving.
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Are you only kind to people when you think they deserve it, or when you're in the mood to be kind? We are called to be kind at all times. Kindness is an active choice and it is contagious. You don’t spread light with darkness, but you can vanquish darkness with light.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Do your goals and plans include helping others, or primarily yourself? Do you use the skills God gave you to further His mission, or to further your own? God blesses us with our resources, minds and abilities so that we can use them to serve others and further His kingdom.
For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Do you obey God only when it is easy, or only run to Him when life is hard? Are you selfless, generous, kind, and serving others in order to further His mission? God commands us to be faithful in all things, at all times; good and bad, easy and difficult. When we are faithful in the little things, we will be faithful in the bigger things. When we are faithful to God through the testing we see that He is faithful to us.
Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”
In order to endure the testing we must face, we must lean into God, trust Him through it, and surrender ourselves and our sense of control to the One who is actually in control. Lift up your struggles with a thankful heart, and remain faithful to God who is always selfless, generous, kind, faithful, and serving His people.
Activate your faith and stand firm, not only to show God we can but to show ourselves that He can. How do you know you really trust God if you're never put in situations where you must? How will you strengthen your belief that God will carry you if you never surrender control?
God is right there experiencing your struggles with you, waiting for you to trust Him to carry you. Even when it doesn't feel like it, like He's left you, like there's just too much darkness, chaos, and pain, God is there to help you get through it and pass every test. Trust Him to be in control and let His peace replace your fears.
'And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servantJob, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord . '
And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord ." Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. '
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Last week we talked about how our testimony can impact someone else’s faith journey. This week, I want to focus more inward. We asked the question of who you want to model your life after; Jesus, Judas or Peter, and today we are going to explore that question a little deeper.
Many of the people who followed Jesus into Jerusalem thought He had come to save them from the Romans. Unfortunately, once they began to realize He was not there for this, they began turning on Him. As soon as they felt He wasn’t there to help them with what they saw as their most important and immediate needs, they bailed on Him and His divine mission.
Before the Last Supper Judas went to the Pharisees and agreed to betray Jesus, after which Satan entered him. Judas chased after wealth by stealing from the ministry money while following Jesus, by betraying Jesus for money, and being greedy along the way. Judas started with petty crimes, even while following Christ, then over time they progressed to bigger sins, until he had spiraled so far that he allowed Satan to overtake him. After betraying Jesus he realized he had made a great mistake and tried to undo what he’d done by giving the money back to the Pharisees, and then went and hung himself instead of asking forgiveness.
When Jesus was about to be killed, Peter was caught up in the crowd, watching Jesus get beaten. People recognized Peter as one of Jesus’s friends and followers but because Peter was scared and did not want to have the same fate as Jesus, Peter denied even knowing Jesus not once but 3 times.
After the rooster crowed, Peter realized what He’d done and wept. When Jesus rose again, Peter was among the remaining 11 disciples that met Jesus in Galilee and worshiped him. Peter returned to Jesus even after he had denied him to save himself, knowing he had done wrong.
Jesus was beaten, ridiculed, hated and judged along the way to Golgotha, and as He hung nailed to the cross he asked God to forgive all of the people who had hurt Him, accused Him, turned away from Him, and killed Him. He begged forgiveness for them and then He died for those very same people so that they, and all who came after, could forever be saved from their sinful nature, and forgiven for denying, betraying, killing and walking away from Him.
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Despite the crowds and even His disciples turning on Him, Jesus still chose to go to the cross for them - and for us. He knew what was going to happen then and in the future, that people would still reject, deny, and turn away from Him for generations to come.
Even though we reject Him when He doesn’t answer us in the ways we want or expect; even though we turn our back on His plan because it gets tough or scary; even though we put fame, wealth, popularity, and common culture before Him He still paid with His life to save us in a way we never knew we needed saving.
Even though He knew what was ahead He did it anyway so that we could have a relationship with God, be saved from our old selves, and be given the gift of New Life through that relationship, which is only available because He paid the price for us.
Even though we mess up, miss the mark, give up, walk away, reject and deny Him we are still able to do as Peter did and come back to Christ. Don’t lose hope. You are never too far gone. You are not a lost cause. You have never messed up so badly you can’t turn back or bring your mistakes to Him. That is what He died for - so that we could all run back to God, confess our sins, and find an eternal relationship full of love, hope, and forgiveness.
'When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. '
'Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. '
'They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. '
The Easter story is the story of Jesus Christ sacrificing Himself and rising again in order to defeat death, save all of mankind from their sins, and bring us back into a relationship with God. There are so many incredible lessons we need to take away from this cornerstone of Christianity, I want to focus on one lesson that is likely a viewpoint we haven't looked at this story in how to live as Christ, and what that means beyond ourselves.
Before Jesus came into Jerusalem he had raised a man named Lazarus from the dead. Many people heard of the miracle Jesus performed and came to see Him in Jerusalem, not only because of who Jesus was but also to see Lazarus. They followed Jesus to see the fruit of the miracle He had performed.
The Easter story is a perfect example of how we should live as Christ (Christ prioritizing the salvation of mankind to the point of sacrificing Himself for the sake of saving everyone else), how we typically do live (Peter denying Him and Judas betraying Him when it got tough to follow Him), and how others (believers and unbelievers) can be drawn in by the way we live and the testimonies we share about Christ's saving grace in our lives even though we’ve denied and betrayed Him.
Here is a vital point that I don't want us to miss or discount. We don't always seek Jesus because He is our Savior. We often seek Him because of what we heard He did in someone else's life. Sometimes we are drawn to Him because of how He has changed, used, helped or blessed others.
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Each of us is given a story and testimony that we are called to share with others. That is one of the most powerful ways we can draw others into the love and truth of Christ. We don't always need to be throwing scripture at people and telling them how they should apply it to their situation. There is a time and place for that approach, but let us not miss the opportunities to use the story He gave us to draw others closer to the water.
So, will you live by Christ's selfless example, putting the salvation of your fellow human as a priority in your life by walking the walk He intended for you and sharing the testimony He gave you? Or will you instead walk like Judas who betrayed Jesus for the sake of wealth and gain? Or like Peter, who denied Jesus when it became tough to continue following him? Whatever you choose, it is all part of your story. It all has the power to either draw someone nearer to or further from the waters we're all called to step out onto.
'When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. '
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
I had a dream last night, really more of a nightmare if I am honest. I was driving down a very dark road with my child sitting in the back seat. We were talking, having a good time, then all of a sudden it was getting really hard to see. Dusk was falling, faster than I had seen coming, and I realized my headlights weren't on. I didn't move to flip them on, I didn't even tell myself I could. I honestly didn't even think I needed them. I was, in fact, panicking in the growing darkness telling myself I absolutely did not need my headlights on.
As we kept going, it became full night, there were no street lights, no lamps in the distance, nothing. It was pure darkness. I started swerving a bit in my panic, and felt the car hit a bumpy part of the road. The bumping and jolting got worse, from small gravel to what felt like massive speed bumps one after the other until finally, I flipped on the headlights to see what I was hitting, and instantly the car fell nose first, straight down to a big crash.
I heard screams and yelling all around. I looked at my child, who was freaking out but she was not hurt. I got out of the car, where all I could see from the inside looking out was pure darkness, and as I opened the door was blinded by light. There were people staring at me, yelling, crying, and someone finally told me I had hit their child who was inside the house now, fighting for their life. I told them I was so heart-breakingly sorry, that I couldn’t see, it was too dark, I had no light. They asked me why I never turned the headlights on and I said I couldn’t, it was too dark! I could not have turned the lights on, it wouldn’t have helped! It was just too dark!
I suddenly fell to my knees, my child came to me, and then all of a sudden I saw my grandfather, who passed away last year, come to me, take my hand, put my child and me in the front seat of the car, then proceed to get into the driver’s seat. He looked at me and said “don’t worry, the child will be safe, and so are you now. I’m here.” He put his great grandchild on his lap as I realized I had been driving a two-seater the whole time, with my kid fully exposed in the front seat next to me. My grandfather looked at me, smiled, and we drove off into immense, comforting light, and I knew I was safe.
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I woke up confused, wondering about this nightmare, and as I kept dwelling on it I realized that this dream is exactly what life felt like before I came to Christ; like driving in the growing, suffocating darkness, refusing to turn on the light I had right next to my hand in finger’s reach. I had the opportunity to turn on the light, to come to Him, but I had convinced myself I didn’t need to, that I could do it on my own, that I could figure it out.
All of a sudden, everything took a nosedive and I sought out the light in my panic. Even in my panic, though, He came for me and I realized He had been there the whole time. I had messed up horrifically driving around in the dark on my own. I had put other lives in danger because of my stubbornness, but as soon as I turned on the light, as soon as I reached for Him, He was right there to fix it, to pick me up, to guide me back to His light, and I was immediately comforted and at peace.
God is with us always, even when we don’t want Him to be, and even when we don’t think He is there. Even though we think we don’t need His help, He knows we do and will be there when we’re ready to turn on the light and invite Him in. All it takes is one flip of the light-switch, as easy as turning on the headlights of your car, to invite Him in. Then you can immediately begin to feel Him working in you.
When I finally came to Christ in my desperation 6 years ago, I was in a dangerous situation and I was panicking, but the very moment I trusted Him I was overflowing with His strength, courage, wisdom, and peace. I knew in that instant that all these things I’d believed; I couldn’t make it on my own, I was a failure, I was worthless, I’d never be able to take care of myself or my child, I would never be loved, I wasn’t even worthy of love, no one would ever care for me, I was a terrible person who only got in the way, I was a terrible mother, a terrible wife, a terrible daughter - these were all lies I had allowed myself to believe and in that instant, I was set free of it all.
It took a long time to heal, to move forward emotionally and mentally, but each step of the way God was there to guide me. I have realized now, looking back, that He was there the entire time. He was pulling on my heart, providing me with wisdom and guidance even though I continued to swat Him away. Even though I was a defiant child choosing to stay in my pain and misery, He was there to comfort me along the way, and lift me out as soon as I surrendered to Him.
This is what He offers to all of us. I’m not saying it is easy, but it is possible and it is worth it. Even when life gets tough I can tackle it with more confidence, strength and perseverance. I can find peace while chaos surrounds me. I am able to recognize the lies of Satan and seek God’s truth. Just reach out, turn on the Light and invite Him in, then lean on Him to guide you through the rest.
Also, never forget that you are not the only one who has stumbled around in the dark. We all go through it. All of us need to find the light-switch and make the decision to turn it on. Don’t cast a judging eye on those who are in the dark, but pray over them with compassion and remember where you were pulled out of and that they, too, need that reaching moment. Look at others with love and understanding, and listen for God’s calling for you to be used to help others reach His light. You never know how He may use you to shine His light on those in the dark.
Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
You ever meet someone who tells you their testimony, and they leave you wondering "is that real? Is that kind of faith even possible?" You start to ask yourself how you can get to that point. You know, the point where even when life is crumbling you are at peace, able to trust God's provision even before it comes.
I used to see "those people" and think it was all made up. I was convinced that they were only trying to make themselves feel better and that what they claimed to experience was absolutely impossible. What I later discovered is that it was impossible...but only because I thought it was.
A man was brought to the disciples to be healed, but the disciples could not heal him. When he was brought to Jesus he was healed. The disciples came to Jesus asking why they were unable to heal the man themselves and Jesus replied
"Because of your little faith...if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."
Because of their lack of faith in the possibility of healing the man, they were prevented from doing so. In the same way, when we feel that something is impossible, we lack the faith it takes to make it possible.
What is Faith?
Faith; noun
complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
Faith is a muscle.
It grows the more we use it. If we never use it, we will never have it. If we never exercise it, it will never grow. We put our faith in all kinds of things; ourselves, loved ones, friends, government, possessions. When a game’s developers fail to provide necessary updates, you lose faith in them or the game. When you can’t seem to win that round in your favorite FPS, you lose faith in yourself as a gamer.
When a friend follows through on a promise, our faith in them increases. When our favorite sports team does poorly, we may lose faith in them. When our kids make good choices, our faith in them increases. When your spouse disrespects you, your faith in them may decrease. Our faith ebbs and flows with the tide of these earthly things, and then we sit and wonder how someone can have faith in God.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
It is a lot easier to have faith in things we can see and touch; things we can prove with our eyes. It is a lot harder to have faith in the unseen forces at work, and we risk sounding like lunatics when we try to explain a strong faith to those whose faith is misplaced.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Faith in God in our culture is perceived as a misplaced faith, but when we have the courage to break the mold and put our faith in Him, we open ourselves up to what He has promised us.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Life doesn’t always make sense. Sometimes things happen and we want to understand it, but the reality is that we are not meant to understand everything. That is God’s job, and I for one am glad it is His job and not mine.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
God gives me the knowledge and understanding I need when I need it, and then I can rest easy knowing that I am not meant to be concerned over the rest of it.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Having faith in God means I can be still, I can be confident, I am assured, and I am saved. Saved from what? Saved from myself, my sins, my past, this broken world.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Faith means that while I am here with my family, friends, and enemies that I am cared for by a God who loves me, and whom I can trust to lead the way because He already has my path laid out before me.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Faith of a mustard seed when planted grows into a strong faith muscle that can bring you through any storm. Faith gives us hope for what is ahead. Trust God, and put your faith in Him and you will reap the rewards He has in store for you.
In our Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) guild, Our Morning Song, we have an event where we get a group together to go virtual fishing. During this event, those who tag along to the fishing holes typically hang out in a Discord voice chat while they all watch to see who will get the most fish, who gets their special achievement fish, and just have a good time plunking their freshly baited hooks into the pixel seas. It is a great opportunity for these people, who are complete strangers IRL, to get to know one another and build relationships.
We have a few other events as well such as dungeons, material farming, and Skyshard hunting, and of course our community Discord server and the website where people can connect, hang out, chit chat and talk about all kinds of things. These are spaces and opportunities for some of us to "fish for people" in the gamerverse.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
When we think about gaming, we don't always consider that it's a massive opportunity to do just as Christ called on us to do when we choose to follow him. We are placed precisely where we are, both in our physical day-to-day IRL as well as in our hobbies and extra-curricular, entertainment activities. We venture through vast digital landscapes, crossing paths with hundreds if not thousands of people every day, and none of this is by accident.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
When I started playing video games regularly, I realized that I was not thrown into the wilderness of gaming for no reason; I was called there for His commission. I had been attacked viciously by the toxicity that can sometimes be so prevalent in the gamerverse but in that darkness I was brought into God's light and filled with His confidence. I began to seek fellowship in the games I played and started sharing God's word with other Gamers.
This is incredibly intimidating sometimes, but once I recognized God's power in this space, it became an all-around amazing experience to bring Jesus into something I enjoyed so much. With Him, I was able to turn my gaming experiences from lonely, filled with hostility, anger and impatience into a time I feel inspired and get to spend time with friends. It is an opportunity to let Christ's light shine into an unexpected place.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Where I used to get upset at other players often, expressed a lot of unnecessary impatience, was often incredibly ungenerous I now find I am always seeking opportunities to be helpful, kind, and giving. I'm always striving to make others feel welcome and cared about in this space. It has become an arena I am not afraid or ashamed to share my testimony or my faith, and I find myself sharing the word of God and talking about my love for Jesus with non-believers on a regularly unexpected basis.
There are people that God has placed in your path to bring His light to them, and some were brought to you to remind you to be more like Christ and less like the world. It all begins with growing and focusing on our relationship with Christ, and then letting Him guide our relationships in the gamerverse.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This is what we are here for. This is what we are called to do. Christ wants us to meet people where they are, and he also wants to meet us where we are. The gamerverse is no exception! Never skip an opportunity to spread the light of Jesus with the people you game with. That little seed could grow into a full, blossoming tree that shares its own fruit. Go fishing for Jesus in this wide open sea of gamers.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
When I was 13 I moved in with my dad and started going to a new school. I was different, so I was seen as strange and gravitated toward the other odd kids. Some of those friends ended up being the most painful friendships but most valuable lessons I’ve ever experienced, and some became my longest time friends with loyalty to boot. Through the experiences of that year living with my dad, I learned the most important lesson of my life.
Even though we walk through darkness sometimes, there will always be light to be found.
I went through the absolute darkest part of my life in that year. So much darkness that I tried to make it all end, many times. I failed every time even though in every logical way I should have succeeded. I finally began to understand there had to be a reason, a purpose. The only way I was still alive was that something much bigger and stronger was keeping me alive. In that darkest period of my life I found God for the first time.
I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
I remember crying to God to help me “Lord, if you are really there, please help me.” I had no idea what was ahead I just knew I was hurting more than I had ever hurt before. But in that pain is where God found me, where He reached me, and where I started to trust and follow Him.
It took years to understand what it meant to know God, and even longer to understand what God wanted from me, but for years I was diligent and tried to find and live on His path for me. I strayed constantly but once He found me that first time I knew He was always there pulling me back into His light every time I strayed back into the darkness. 10 years after that most painful year is when God pulled me into a relationship with Him, and it grows stronger all the time.
God is faithful. He will hear you, and He will help you. Don’t be afraid to cry out to Him. When you take His hand it won’t be easy but He will be there every step of the way. He will carry you, hold you, help and encourage you, and most importantly He will love you no matter what. With much patience and a desire to seek Him you will find a deeper relationship with Him than you could have ever dreamed that will utterly change your whole existence in the best ways.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Jonah had a big problem - he had been swallowed by a giant fish. Through this problem he trusted God to save him. Jonah prayed to God and knew that even though he was in this difficult situation, God would not let him down.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord !"
Even when storms hit and we feel like something in our life is swallowing us up, tearing us down, even destroying our lives or ourselves, God is there. See, God doesn't want us to merely say we're His. He wants us to be willing to sacrifice everything for Him. When we're in the belly of a giant fish we should rest in the peace that no matter what happens, God is doing His good work around us - even when we can't see it or even feel it.
As Christians we vow to give our life to the Lord and there will be times He may ask us to prove our faith and our vow to Him. Are you willing to lose it all to gain the blessings God has stored up for you?
From the very first sin humans lost their natural inclination to seek God first. It is so difficult to resist all the earthly temptations. It seems like there are so many shiny objects and juicy opportunities around every turn. With all of these temptations we have to choose between the treasures of this world, and righteousness through Jesus Christ. What we fail to understand and remember is that through Jesus we have everything and more than we could ever even dream of.
There will be times in your life where something will take such precedence over your time, focus and priorities that God will step in and take it away in order to bring you back into focus with Him. When we forget that He is the source of all we need or could ever want God wants us to be reminded. He doesn't want us to get lost in the world of want and desire.
Sometimes loss and change are valuable lessons we needed in order to move closer to His path and further away from our own. Our path leads to sin and death, but His path will always lead to love and salvation.
Let Him lead you out of the darkness and into the light in every area of your life. You won't regret it.
As a gamer, my PC performance is pretty important to me. Not only do I love to play my games, but I also work from home and rely on my PC to function as I need it to. Over the last few months the performance of my PC has been dwindling more and more every day. It is interesting the amount of patience I have needed in order to drag my poor, tired computer until it can be replaced.
Patience is needed in many unexpected areas of life. We so often take for granted what we have, so when something we use everyday - whether for entertainment or for essential purposes, is lacking it can be extremely frustrating. With it being my computer that was lacking, it was something that wasn’t very simple to just go out and replace at the moment it started getting inconvenient. It took months of saving, planning, research and waiting.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
While saving and planning I’ve been tempted to spend what I’d saved “so far” to get something basic just to replace the inconvenience of a slow, tired PC. Instead of being hasty, as we humans often are, I gave it to God. I’ve prayed constantly over my computer, yes even something that may seem so silly as a computer, because I understood that all decisions need to be brought before God for His guidance and wisdom. I knew I needed to put the human feelings of impatience and frustration aside and just trust God to help me.
After months of waiting patiently I am now a week away from a new PC, and with the help of God I will have something better than I’d ever dreamed. With this new PC I will be able to do more than I’d ever dreamed and it will all be for His glory. Even something that seems as silly as a PC can, and should, be used for God’s glory. I will not forget to thank God every time I turn it on, and I will use it to spread His Word every single day.
Patience and a grateful heart can carry you further than you ever dreamed, and if you are not feeling very patient or grateful just reach out to God and He will not fail you.
I am a wife, mom, writer, crafter, and above all, a Child of God. I love to study the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and serve God. I am thrilled to invite you to join me in seeking to satisfy our thirsty souls with the Living Water of Christ, which is what Water On Thirsty Land is here to do.
