Devotionals – Page 18 – Oh Lord Help Us

busyness, Christmas, Jesus, pressure, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Pressure: Overcoming the Lies and Expectations of the Holidays

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 18, 2018January 13, 2019

The pressure of the holidays can be suffocating. Remembering Jesus, our Savior, and resting in His presence allows us to overcome the lies and expectations.

I can already feel the lies of the season…

Do all the things. Be all the things. Give all the things.

»Pressure«

Why in the world does this happen during the Christmas season? I know it’s all been said before, it’s all been penned, it’s all been discussed…

Busyness vs. Peace • Mantle vs. Manger • Presents vs. Presence.

Expecting Gifts

Christmas isn’t about the things… We all say this, but we fall prey to the trap every year. We allow it. It creeps in with every Christmas song, movie, and commercial. With every dollar-spot stop at Target. Every ‘SALE! SALE! SALE!’

GIVE all the things…

I’m seriously contemplating -deep breath in- little to no gifts this year. GASP! As everyone screams, ‘Look away! Look away!’ The horror. The nerve.

The freedom…

Imagine, for just a moment, if the pressure of buying the perfect gift, or anything at all, was lifted from our shoulders. Imagine if Christmas was about the conversations, the number of hearts beating in the same room, about being around, not the presents.

What if the gift of the season was about experiencing each other, hearing each other, breaking bread together, grieving together, laughing together, living life together…

Giving what we have…giving ourselves. Our Creator provided us unique gifts to pour out on those we love. Baking, making, hospitably serving, singing, reading, smiling. Giving love, listening ears, open doors… Giving Jesus. Jesus – the most perfect gift.

God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.

1 Peter 4:10, TLB

Christmas Busy

Christmas is about spending time with loved ones…Yet we still fill our time with events, parties, and programs that take us away from intimate moments with the ones we love. ‘Tis the season to be busy. Christmas parades, Christmas programs, Christmas events…

Christmas is stamped at the beginning of these words, adding a new level of pressure to attend. We run ourselves ragged making sure to show our faces, our kids’ faces, our spouses’ faces at it all.

Please understand I’m not trying to close everyone off from societal traditions. I’m simply trying to spark inspiration in finding rest, seeking the warmth of hospitality, and taking pleasure in the calm.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6, NLT (ephasis added)

Yes, this verse refers to a time when governments practiced seasons of peace. However, through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus offers peace to us all, at any moment. He offers us calm in our spirits, though there’s strife all around. He provides quietness through the hustle and bustle. Falling into Jesus brings rest, comfort, and a stillness that is unmatched in this world.

Overcoming Pressure

Christmas is about Jesus… But we fill the season with so much that Jesus isn’t. From the moment of conception to the moment of ascension, every bit of Christ’s life is what we cherish at Christmas, and all the other 364 days. Well, it should be.

For what Jesus accomplished in our place, we should be filled with overwhelming joy. He came to earth as the Son of God, died on the cross for all our sins, rose from the dead three days later, and gave us hope for eternal life with our Father. From that joy should spring forth immense generosity… supernatural generosity.

Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep poverty, and the result has been an overflow of giving to others.

2 Corinthians 8:2, TLB

The load is lifted from my chest, and I take a huge sigh of relief. It’s beautiful. Warm. It’s Jesus. Only Jesus. Rejoicing in His gift, being in His presence, and resting in His hope is what the days ahead are all about… it’s what life is about.

From the moment of conception to the moment of ascension, every bit of Christ's life is what we cherish at Christmas. We should be filled with such joy for what Jesus accomplished in our place that immense generosity flows from us. Click To Tweet

Sister, I pray we can join together in overcoming these lies of the holidays. That we can shift the ‘normal’ expectations and rest in Jesus.

Mourad Saadi

draw near, presence, God's word, fed, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Draw Near: Experiencing God’s Presence for Ourselves

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 17, 2018January 13, 2019

It can be easy to believe that hearing God’s word at church is enough. But God allows us to draw near to Him. We can experience His presence for ourselves.

Food

Food. Glorious food. It is something we cannot live without. When my babies were young, they depended on me to feed them. First through nursing and then with spoons and sippy cups. It was hard work. I relished the day that they were on full-time solids and could use a spoon to feed themselves or even eat with their own chubby fingers. It felt like I too had attained a small amount of freedom.

What food is to the physical body, God’s word is to the spiritual. We are made to be sustained by His presence and His word. When my husband and I were in seminary, I attended courses to prepare me for a life of serving alongside my husband in ministry. One class stayed with me long after those days were gone. It was a class on studying the Bible. I will never forget Virginia Walker’s words as she instructed us to remain self-feeders. I did not know that then, but I would come back to these words again and again.

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25, NIV

Filled

What does it mean to be a self-feeder? It means that there will be times over and over when we must be responsible for drawing ourselves near to God. This has proven to be true for me in a variety of seasons. When we were at our first church serving, I was pouring into other women and feeling worn out. I had to be in the word not just to study, but to recharge.

When my children were little, I spent most of my days tending to their schooling needs, their physical needs, and the cleaning of my home. I could not depend on the once-weekly sermon to fill my empty well. I had to go and drink from living water, daily. Drink in its truths over and over.

We cannot depend on the once-weekly sermon to fill our empty wells. We have to drink from living water, daily. Drink in God's truth over and over. Click To Tweet

His Perspective

Now, I am in a different season. I am unable to attend church and hear my elders preach. I have thought about those bedridden through age and illness. There is never a time when we are not in need of His hope, His kindness, or His Spirit. His word is rich with all of these. As I study His word for myself, I am encouraged. I can see life from His perspective. A perspective that is vastly different from my own.

I have found a few things helpful as I consider being a self-feeder…

1. I need both… My time in the word is a complement to my time in the church.

2. Community… It can be helpful to study with another believer especially someone of a different age or season. But, I cannot let that be an excuse to not be in the word.

3. Memorizing… Memorizing chunks of scripture can be life changing and is always time well spent. His word never returns void.

4. Trusting… Just like everything else, I cannot trust my feelings as an indicator that my study matters. If I went for days without food, my body would be affected. So is my spirit. Studying God’s word is a discipline that may feel dry at times. Trust that time in His word will…

…teach, reprove, and train in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped for every good work,

2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV

Draw Near

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

James 4:8a, NIV

Some days, I am fed deeply by my pastors and other believers. They encourage me, but nothing can take the place of deep time in His word and in His presence. He calls us to Himself.

Let me encourage you to look at your own time in the word. Not as a source of condemnation or another rule to keep. But as an opportunity to relish in His presence and draw near to Him. God’s presence is no longer just for the priest or the pastor. He is for us. He is here for you. Draw near.

Jeremy Bishop

freedom, grace, past, resentment, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Past: Leaving Resentment and Pain Behind Us to Live Freely

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 16, 2018January 13, 2019

The holiday season can quickly bring up old wounds and resentments within us that cause pain or anger. Leaving the past behind enables us to love freely.

Most of us have spent the first of America’s two major holidays of the year with members of our extended family. For various reasons, many of these family members are so out of our daily orbit that we only see them once or twice a year.

This could be a happy thing or an annoying thing. It depends on whether we’re talking about the favorite cousin with whom you had a blast when you were young, (yay!), or the rude uncle who always teased you until you cried and then laughed at you, (boo!). I imagine few of us have only Hallmark memories of the holiday season, but for those of you who do, I salute you. This piece may not be for you.

Expectations

Any therapist will tell you that depression and anxiety are higher around the holiday season. Sometimes it’s due to this being the first major holiday without a loved one (or the 10th), but very often it is due to family relationships and expectations, whether our own or what we perceive others have placed upon us.

Family systems therapists will tell us that unless we have differentiated from our family of origin, we can’t go home without being pulled back into the role we played within our family. I know; it stinks. But if you haven’t recognized it, you will.

The same, old resentments seem to resurface when the family gathers for any length of time – often for reasons that aren’t immediately clear. Siblings begin behaving in familiar, juvenile ways they would never exhibit with anyone outside of the family circle. Underlying tension can be felt by all. Anxiety hums beneath the piety. Maybe some false good cheer.

Triggers

The felt tension or anxiety may trigger excess drinking for some families. It could also cause mom to amp up the superficial happiness as she attempts to please everyone and keep the peace. These coping mechanisms numb the pain and eliminate the need to address any uncomfortable topics. Family members with less patience or tolerance, (or perhaps more emotional health,) start to exit, sometimes angrily, sometimes in tears, always with relief…

Another happy holiday is behind us!

Haven’t we all laughed – or cried – at the numerous holiday movies that portray these very scenarios?

Resentment

Psychologically, there is so much more that can be said concerning this topic. I spent 20 years living the above. Then, I thought if I studied it and understood it rationally, I could master the resentment and bitterness that had welled up within me. Despite my Bible knowledge, despite my growing academic knowledge, every year, every holiday I was gobsmacked yet again by the very same family dynamics that had entrapped me the year before!

Finally, after a professor recommended it, I sought therapy. Accompanied by prayer and spiritual retreats, and by God’s grace and mercy, God revealed to me how I had held on to all the pain – every. single. year. of pain. Doing so had not only deeply burdened me, but had laden me down with unforgiveness toward my family. I was so busy storing up the injustices, the barbs and ongoing criticisms, the substance abuse, that I was incapable of loving them with the love of Christ.

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19, NKJV

Free

The Spirit of God released me from my heavy load of pain and unforgiveness, instructing me to not dwell on the past. Believe me when I say that it wasn’t a once-for-all occurrence for me. It happens that way for some but was a slow sanctification process for me. However, the God who could make rivers in a desert, could and did deliver me from my sin and my past that had strangled me.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14, NKJV

Sisters lay it down. Aren’t you tired?

Whatever it is that you have been dragging around behind you, that deep sorrow in your soul for so many years; put it in Jesus’ hands. It’s wearisome to continue to carry it around. God’s Spirit may instruct you to take additional steps; I don’t know. But I do know that clinging tenaciously to past wrongs is death to us. By His grace and power, choose to leave it in the past and press on toward the prize, the upward call of God in Christ.

You are so worth it…because you are His.

Whatever it is that you have been dragging around behind you, that deep sorrow in your soul for so many years; put it in Jesus' hands. Click To Tweet

pride, worship, focus, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Pride: Resolving to Correct Misplaced Worship to Fulfill God’s Purpose

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 12, 2018January 13, 2019

Pride wears many faces. It is a sneaky thing that isn’t all bad but can quickly become a monster if it is misplaced. To fulfill God’s purpose, we must lay down those things we place above Him.

I asked the following question to a mixed group of folks, (some claiming Christ, others who do not), ranging in age from 11 to 70…

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think about pride?

Feeling good about yourself.
Lions.
Being proud of yourself and where you came from.
In your head; selfish.
Handling big things on your own. Getting a handle on it, trying to wrap it up pretty, then presenting an incomplete and shallow lie. Then wondering why it’s falling apart.
Honor and dignity, and when all is lost you don’t back down or stop trying.
Mega-nationalism; egotism.
The root of all evil.
Self.
When you have faith in yourself or something else.
The belief that I am self-sufficient and can be an everywhere it all, fix it all and know it all.
Fall—as in it comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18).
Men.
Confidence; strong ethics.
Arrogance and self-focus; but also positive in a way like confidence. Like doing something well.
Self-consumed, lifting oneself up, thinking your wisdom is superior.

Focus

I found the variety of responses fascinating. Modern society teaches love yourself more. Evangelical culture preaches be filled with God’s love. But where the Western world falls short, spouting off “Jesus loves you” somehow fails to produce change. It doesn’t delve deep enough. I agree with how one author addresses this issue:

The love of God can be a profound answer to just about any human struggle, but sometimes we can use it in such a way that it becomes a watered down version of profoundly rich truth. For example, sometimes, because of shortcomings in us rather than Scripture, this answer misses the call to “consider others better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3), or it ignores personal repentance. Sometimes it still allows us and our needs to be at the center of the world, and God becomes our psychic errand boy given the task of inflating our self-esteem.

Edward T. Welch, When People Are Big and God is Small

At the end of the day, it is about what and who we worship. What is most important? Comfort? Recognition? Peace? Power? All of those point back to self. As followers of Christ, anything we revere more than Him will ultimately be torn down. It is not for meanness sake, but because God’s purpose for those He created is to reflect Him.

Survey

Lately, I have been inundated with the topics of pride and humility. They are in the books I’m reading, the lectures I’m watching, and the sermons on Sundays. Uh…I hear you, God; loud and clear. Last week I filled out a pride and humility survey. Yeah, it’s a thing.

In the past when I completed personal assessments similar to this, I either felt weighed down by my ineptness or gratified with my growth. Ironically enough, both responses are manifestations of pride. Feeling burdened by my short-comings keeps the focus on me and does not honor God. Nor does it seek to be molded more into His image.

While it is good to be remorseful over my pride, I mustn’t stop there. The next step is repenting and asking God to keep working in me to do away with it! Feeling content with my progress in humility is still pride. But praising God for continuing to create a good work in me is worshipful.

Feeling content with our progress in humility is still pride. But praising God for continuing to create a good work in us is worshipful. Click To Tweet

Pride

So, are all forms of pride bad? No; but there is a micro-fine line between righteous boasting and every other self-focused version. God said it first to the people of Judah through Jeremiah.

This is what the Lord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me—that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration.

Jeremiah 9:23-24, CSB

It pleases God when we brag about His power! Paul reiterated God’s instruction in both of his letters to the Corinthians.

Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence. It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:27-31, CSB

So let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 10:17-18, CSB

Worship

Having a mind focused on God, the One in Whom all things are from, through, and to (Romans 11:36), fights against selfish pride. It is okay to feel good about ourselves when viewed rightly through the lens of God’s work in us. There is nothing wrong with having an appreciation for where we came from—understanding God is the One who birthed us into that place. It’s alright to be pleased with our own or someone else’s accomplishments, as long as we acknowledge it is God who works through us for His good purpose.

Exhibiting honor, dignity, and confidence isn’t a recipe for unholy pride. Jesus was confident in the Father, and He taught the highest principles of loving God and loving others. He accomplished the most honorable mission of all time by taking on human form, living a perfect life, dying a horrific death, and raising from the dead so we could be redeemed.

Jesus did not back down because He was God—He didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2:6). No, Jesus didn’t back down because He wholly trusted the Father to complete His work through Him. It’s the tiniest tweak that makes all the difference, but it’s monumental. It really is all about what and who we worship. Let us resolve to pledge our reverence to the King!

home, joy, pilgrims, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Pilgrims: Learning to Be in The World, Not of The World

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 11, 2018January 13, 2019

As believers, we are pilgrims who live in the world but are not of the world. We must embrace this identity to truly follow Christ.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.

1 Peter 2:11

Recently my sister in law made an intriguing comment. She was recounting a simple, yet profound statement that her pastor had made to their congregation. He told them that, as believers, if they do not feel out of place in this world, they could be headed for trouble. If they always feel at home in the world, perhaps they’re trying too hard to fit in.

Her pastor was encouraging them to live as Christ instructed His followers to live: as pilgrims passing through. Ultimately, her pastor’s point was that, as believers, we are called to be in this world but not of this world. So, if at times, we feel out of place, most likely we’re actually doing something right in our walk of faith.

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

John 15:19

Leaving Egypt

A few years ago, I found myself in a situation where I truly felt out of place in the world, even among some believers. I had earned a Master’s degree in Social Work and had worked as a community organizer and advocate to empower people in poverty. My husband had a degree in economics and owned a small business as a general contractor for high-end residential projects.

By all accounts, we were doing pretty well in this world. We were establishing successful careers, building a large community, and just generally enjoying life’s pleasures. But our faith in the Lord was small. He was about to completely dismantle the safe, little life we had arranged for ourselves through our own pride and strength.

Just like the Israelites, little did we know that we were embarking on a pilgrimage out of Egypt into the wilderness. Over the span of about two years, our careers, our community, and really our entire life changed drastically. After having our first child, my husband and I prayed and asked the Lord whether I should go back to work or stay at home to care for our baby…

It became very clear that I needed to resign from my salaried position with a large nonprofit. There went a big chunk of our steady, reliable income along with our health insurance coverage and my professional identity.

Questions…

About a year later, a number of times in prayer, my husband had heard from the Lord that it was time to close his small business. His company was our family’s only source of income. So, he was naturally resistant. And we had a second child on the way. These things did not make sense to our natural minds. And I had a lot of questions.

Why was the Lord calling us away from the careers we had been working so hard to establish? What would we tell our friends and family? How could He expect us to walk away from our only source of income? What about the mortgage? How would we feed our family?!

The Lord was trying to show us that our earthly provision was not secure. He was our provider and the source of our security, financially and otherwise. So, after a great deal of discussion, prayer–and quite a bit of fear and trembling–we decided to follow Christ’s instruction to close my husband’s business.

Pilgrims in the Wilderness

For the next year, we became pilgrims wandering in a financial, spiritual, and emotional wilderness. Stripped bare of all our earthly identities, we truly began to learn what it felt like to be outsiders. With a baby and a toddler in tow and no source of steady income, we were living in the world, but we did not have the means to be part of it. We could barely even explain what we were going through to ourselves, let alone to our friends–many of whom were not believers.

We tried to share our hearts with people in our church and fellowship groups, but even to them, the choices we were making seemed foreign. I often felt completely isolated and alone. Watching the world go on about its business, I felt as if I were orbiting just slightly outside of their circles. Despite the fact I was following the Lord and growing in my faith, a part of me was still desperately wanting to fit in. To re-enter the world’s normal orbit and simply go with the flow.

A Peculiar People

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Peter: 2:9

As believers, we are indeed a peculiar people. Pilgrims from a kingdom that is not of this world. Part of being a pilgrim passing through is following Christ, even when He calls us to say or do things that don’t seem to make sense to the world. And Beloved, this can be a tough and lonely row to hoe. The world might look at our faith and call us unreasonable, irrational, irresponsible, even crazy. Because faith is not their paradigm, reason is their religion.

I’m not saying that believers should not act according to reason. But sometimes what the Lord calls us to do can feel like it doesn’t make any earthly sense. Sometimes there are spiritual steps of faith that we must take in order to follow Christ. We have to learn to trust that even if those steps don’t make sense to our natural mind, they are still the right ones to take.

We can’t let our faith be swayed by what others–in the world or in the church–think of us. And if we’re faithful and obedient to follow His leading, we will see that there is a rhyme and a reason to how and why He takes us in certain unlikely directions.

Part of being a pilgrim passing through is following Christ. Even when He calls us to say or do things that don't seem to make sense to the world. Click To Tweet

Rebuilding

Honestly, our wilderness season was one of the most difficult and frightening times of my life. Yet during that pilgrimage, my faith in the Lord and my trust in His goodness grew exponentially. I saw Him move in miraculous ways on behalf of our family. We went without many things that the world calls necessities. But we never starved, and we always had clothes on our back and a roof over our head. Ultimately, the Lord had taken us on a journey out of the worldly system and into the wilderness. And today we are living in what feels like a promised land where we can rebuild what was lost.

We are once again establishing our careers, but this time, we’re doing so according to the gifts and callings that He has placed on our lives. We’re building community, but now we’re doing it intentionally with other believers who are on their own pilgrimages. And we’re enjoying life again, but not just for the earthly pleasures that the world offers. Now we’re experiencing the true joy that only Christ can bring. I get the sense that this is only the beginning of what He really has in store for our life.

From Pilgrims to Citizens

Our pilgrimage made no earthly sense at the time. In retrospect, however, I can see how the Lord perfectly orchestrated each step of faith. I feel so thankful that He considered us worthy of having that experience. It made me realize that I do not need the world.

But it also showed me how desperately the world needs Christ. Now I can show Christ’s love to a world that is lost, even when they feel like they are at home. Somewhere deep down, they want and need to be found. They long to know that they are not alone. That there is a real, lasting place for them. That is the beautiful offer of the gospel: to be pilgrims for a time but to belong for eternity.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

Ephesians 2:19

When have you truly felt like a pilgrim in this world? How have you balanced living in the world but not being of it?

All scripture references are from the King James Version of The Bible.

hope, pain, rest, season, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Season: Learning to Rest in Times of Pain and Suffering

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 10, 2018January 13, 2019

There are many different times in life. During a season of suffering, it is important to remember that it is okay to not be okay, but we are called to rest in Jesus.

Through the past year, I have had some of my lowest lows and some of my highest highs. I am currently, by the grace of God, in a season where everything seems to be going well. I am feeling more confident and am having a lot of good days. Because of that sometimes I forget that I am allowed to have bad days. I focus a lot on what “should be” instead of facing what is. We all go through different seasons of life but in every season we must hold tight to our Savior.

Having it all Together

Sometimes, as Christians, we tend to think that we have to have it all together. We are constantly bombarded with phrases that lead us to believe that we are not allowed to have bad days or to feel upset for a time. When we confide in people they usually respond with “just have faith” or “you just need to pick yourself up”.

While this is all true, we also need to realize that there will be seasons of pain and times where we don’t feel okay. And the truth of the matter is that it’s okay to not be okay. The pain will fade and God will come through for us and bring relief.

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you.

1 Peter 5:10, CEB

A Season for Everything

There truly is a season for everything, and that includes seasons of not ‘okay’. Scripture clearly states that there is a time for crying and laughing and a time for mourning and dancing. Life happens in seasons. Sometimes that season is one of pain. We are allowed to feel pain and to not be “on” all of the time. At times we must rest in our suffering and our pain.

There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens:

a time for giving birth and a time for dying, a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted, a time for killing and a time for healing, a time for tearing down and a time for building up, a time for crying and a time for laughing, a time for mourning and a time for dancing, a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones, a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces, a time for searching and a time for losing a time for keeping and a time for throwing away, a time for tearing and a time for repairing, a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking, a time for loving and a time for hating, a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, CEB

Suffering

The Bible is clear that there are times where we will not be ok. The difference comes when we learn to give it to Jesus and learn to be ok again. We are not called to live a life without suffering but to give our suffering to our great God.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Romans 5:3-5, NLT

We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials. Some other versions say that we can rejoice in suffering. When we generally think of trials or suffering the word rejoice does not come to mind. But, it is clear that we all go through suffering and that it happens for a reason…

That reason is hope. Suffering will also ultimately develop hope. A hope that will never let us down. A hope that can only come when we give everything over to Jesus. Jesus died so that we do not suffer alone.

He took the punishment for our sin. He suffered so that we can trust in Him. Jesus knows first hand what it is like to not be ok. We have a confidant, a supporter through all of life’s trials. This is the hope we need in order to see the good in our suffering. To learn to rest in it.

Suffering will ultimately develop a hope that will never let us down. A hope that can only come when we give everything over to Jesus. He died so we do not suffer alone. Click To Tweet

Suffering with Each Other

When others are suffering, we are called to stand with them. We need to help them. We need to be a safe place for people to be able to talk about what they are going through. It is important that we give people permission to not be okay. There are times when people are looking for help solving a problem and times when they just need someone to listen to them. As believers, we are called to do these things.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2, NIV

Carry each other’s burdens. This is what scripture implores us to do. Part of loving one another is carrying each other’s burdens. When we are in times of pain and suffering, having someone carry the burden with you can change everything.

God did not create us to go through life by ourselves. When we are in times of turmoil it is important to seek Godly counsel and support. When we are the ones giving the support, we must do so in a way that is helpful, loving, and honest.

Joy Comes in the Morning

It is truly okay to not be okay for a season. We all have days or weeks or even months of not being okay. The difference comes when we give our pain over to God and learn to rest in Him. We may have bad days, but we can have confidence that we will be okay again… the sun will rise.

For his anger lasts only a brief moment, and his good favor restores one’s life. One may experience sorrow during the night, but joy arrives in the morning.

Psalm 30:5, NET

Christmas, God's Love, Salvation, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Warmth: Allowing God’s Gift of Eternal Life to Burn in Our Soul

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 10, 2018January 13, 2019

God sent His Son to warm our hearts. His warmth is all you need to have eternal life. This gift was given to all of us. Let God’s fire warm your life.

I love a good fire on a crisp cool night. The light of the fire dancing as waves of heat move over cool skin feels elemental and natural. The smell of smokey wood burning brings a flood of childhood memories washing over me.

Memories

My grandparents loved to go camping. We spent lots of time living out of their little camper. When I was in Girl Scouts some of my fondest memories are of the Jamboree where we would tent camp near the lake in Louisburg, NC. Now we spend time by the fire pit listening to nature, eating s’mores, talking and just being.

So, a few weeks ago while sitting by the fire, we were listening to “old school” songs. I pulled out an old Colin Raye song “What if Jesus Came Back Like That.” I remember the first time I heard this song. Lying in my dorm room listening to the CD I had gotten for a cent from BMG. Colin Raye had won Entertainer of the Year and I had recently gotten into country music. I listened to this song over and over again, intent on hearing and learning all the words. Tears streamed down my face because this song spoke to my soul.

Seeing God’s Fire

This song tore me apart. What if Jesus came back as anything other than the King? What if the homeless person on Franklin Street was how He came back? Or if he came from a drug-infested hovel? Didn’t he come so humbly before? Why would he come back differently?

He came to town on a cold dark night
A single star was his only light
The baby born that silent night
A manger for his bed

What if Jesus comes back like that
Where will he find out hearts are at
Will he let us in or turn his back

Feeling the Warmth of God’s Love

As we race toward Christmas, I think we need to stop and consider the story. A young pregnant girl, engaged to a man who wasn’t the father of her child. Talk about being out in the cold…

They were on a journey across rough roads to be counted for a government who held them in contempt. They finally made it to the little town of Bethlehem but found nowhere to stay. A stable full of animals was the best they could find. And it was in this situation that Jesus was born.

Mary wasn’t in a nice soft bed, attended to by nurses and doctors who were seeing to her every comfort. Smelly, dirty, cold conditions surrounded the newborn. God, our Father, allowed His only Son to be born into such humble conditions. But, His love for us through His Son kept everyone warm.

Jesus came to bring a fire to our spirit. To be a light in the world. He came to warm us from the coldness of separation from God. Click To Tweet

Spreading the Warmth of God’s Love

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Matthew 25:40, NKJV

God has given us clear instructions. He is in each of us and that is why we should love our neighbors as ourselves. Those who are in crisis need our help, not our condemnation. We need to pray for them and with them. Give joyfully of our resources to help others. And take it back to the old-school question: “What Would Jesus Do?”

Jesus came to bring a fire to our spirit. To be a light in the world. He came to warm us from the coldness of separation from God. We need to take Him into our lives and love Him wholeheartedly.

It rises at one end of the heavens and runs its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple…

Psalm 19:6-7, NIV

Dear God,

I am in awe of your love. Help me to pay attention to Your warmth. Let me share it with others. You were humble enough to have your Son born in a lowly stable. Let me see you in others and remember to love others as you would.

love,

fake, pride, salvation, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Counterfeit: Why We Settle For Fake Jesus When He Offers the Real Thing

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 6, 2018January 13, 2019

When we apply addition to the gospel of salvation – Jesus + the Law, Jesus + works – it becomes counterfeit. It is no longer about Jesus, but about us.

My mom raised me with this example: Having grown up impoverished, she was determined to own nice things as an adult. She had a nose like a bloodhound for clearance racks with designer clothes and mom carried them like a beauty queen each day at work. She didn’t have a lot, but what she had was quality.

No counterfeits. No knock-offs for Betty, not even when it came to diamonds. Cubic Zirconias? Are you kidding me?! Don’t even. She kept her eye on a 1+ carat solitaire for quite a while leading up to their 25th wedding anniversary, then informed my dad that he was buying it for her. Poor dad. He had a hard time keeping up with all the money she told him she was saving him.

Genuine vs. Counterfeit

A lot of women like knock-off purses because they can’t afford the genuine article. Some are satisfied with CZs or crystals in their rings, or imitation leather shoes, but I was simply not raised that way. It’s the real deal or no deal. The real deal lasts longer, at least that’s what mom said and in this case, I’m prone to agree with her. I’ll just own fewer items of said thing. (I’m not sure my husband agrees.)

If we think much about it, our world is drawn toward inauthentic people, too. Rock stars, movie stars, sports stars…evangelical music stars or preacher stars (ouch!). Before you blast me, I am not implying all famous evangelical music/preachers are inauthentic. Genuine folks can be difficult to be around; you know, like looking in a mirror and not liking what you see.

I wonder if the prevailing, positive attitude toward counterfeit things or people is directly related to our tendency to accept and worship counterfeit forms of Jesus. Every denomination has done it since the early church, actually. In Galatians 1:6, Paul was astonished – think speechless with surprise – that the Galatian church had already turned away from the gospel he had shared with them.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Galatians 1:6-7, ESV

Counterfeit Church

Paul was amazed! It seemed unthinkable that this church with whom he had shared the gospel of Jesus openly and freely had been swayed by Judaizers so swiftly into another belief system of Jesus+ legalism. He believed the matter was deeply important, so much so that he proclaimed that those who caused the Galatians to stray should be accursed – damned, doomed.

But even if we are an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:8-9, ESV

In light of Paul’s strong words, perhaps we should take a closer look, as well.

Jesus +

We’re not even original with this false worship. Shockingly, you will see in Gal. 2:11-14, Peter – the rock upon which the Church was built – was also intimidated by the well-spoken Jesus+ folks.

But let’s just pretend that we are original for a minute. How do we add to the gospel today? Remember: none of us are immune to this.

Jesus+Works

I’ll begin with my own way: Jesus+ good deeds or works. Now, we all know better than to SAY this aloud, but deep in our place of knowing there is a tiny voice tauntingly saying if I don’t DO (enough) good things I’m not ______, (saved, an acceptable Christian, etc.) However, the gospel of Jesus explicitly states that the death of Christ is sufficient to satisfy all of God’s requirements for sin, (I Corinthians 15:3-5; Romans 3:23-24; Romans 6:23).

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:23-24, NIV

Jesus+Daily Devotional

Another way we counterfeit the good news of Christ is Jesus+our daily devotional. A truckload of guilt and shame results from this mentality. Are daily devotions beneficial? Absolutely. Will they help you grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ? If they are Christ-centered, clearly, yes. Will they add to your stance of salvation before our Father? A resounding NO.

Jesus+Prayer

I argued with the Spirit, just a little, about this one because it truly is a sacred cow…Jesus+ a vibrant prayer life. I know, I know! Most of us long for it, again, have felt guilty about not having a “bam-you’re healed!” prayer life. But I’ve got to tell you, over the years my practice in prayer has traveled from the laundry list of needs to following some respected guy’s formula, to a lifestyle prayer, to a more meditative form.

Prayer changes me most when I come into His presence and adore Him. Seriously, though? Each time I ask God to forgive me for not ‘praying enough,’ I hear Him say in my spirit, “I’m here. I haven’t left you.” It’s incredibly humbling and washes me with His grace.

Jesus+Politics

How about Jesus+ how you vote? Whether you are a Conservative or Liberal (and all that entails)? Please.

Less of Me

There are many more things we add to the gospel in our modern day because, well, then it’s more about us and less about Him. If I have anything at all…anything to do with my salvation, Jesus didn’t have to come and die.

So you see, pride is at the core of wanting to add to the perfect gospel. It’s more of me and less of Him instead of more of Him and less of me, (John 3:30). Oh…there’s that snake in the grass yet, again.

Paul is clear in Galatians – the genuine gospel is preeminently worthy of a zealous defense.

Be alert, warriors.

Pride is at the core of wanting to add to the perfect gospel. If WE have anything at all to do with our salvation, Jesus didn't have to come and die. Be alert! Guard against this mindset! Click To Tweet

Material gleaned from Rev. Jamaal Williams’ sermon, 9/16/2018 and Charles Stanley, Galatians: Letter of Liberation, The Living Insights Study Bible

chaos, grace, kindness, season, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Kindness: 3 Tips for Floating on the Gift of God’s Grace

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 5, 2018January 13, 2019

The gift of God’s grace can be hard to accept. Acceptance means we are flawed and need help. But God’s kindness sustains us in our weaknesses.

Many different seasons make up life. Some seasons are full of blessings, some full of heartache. Seasons can be filled with joy, hope, trials, grieving, and chaos. My current season holds all of the above!

For us, this season started back in August, when we found out we are pregnant with our fourth child! We are absolutely overjoyed to welcome our little boy this spring. Immediately, I felt the Lord say that the child in my womb is a symbol of a new season of grace and favor for our family.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19, NIV

Grace-Filled

As I ponder over the past four months, I have truly seen the kindness of God abound in every area of our family life. However, a grace-filled season is not necessarily easy. And, it has not been an easy season for us. Just to be real, this season has been crazy!

My husband recently accepted a job working for an incredible ministry in another city. While, this is an amazing opportunity for our family, moving (while pregnant and with three kids) comes with its own set of challenges…

I have peace with the unknown, but I have all the feels.

I feel impatient with the process, and at the same time, I want to savor each moment just a little bit longer.

I want to cry. I want to scream. I want to leap for joy.

I just want to be settled in my new house, and I never want to leave my current one.

I can’t wait for Christmas. I hope our actual day holds up to the picturesque Hallmark scene in my head.

I’m so excited for this new adventure ahead, and I’m slightly terrified I won’t be cut out for the job.

I’m looking forward to our new friends and community, but I am mourning leaving the ones I love here.

The back-and-forth is exhausting. I’m longing to just be HOME. But, I know that home is heaven, and I hope in that.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Hebrews 12:28,NIV

Kindness

How do you feel about the move?

I hear this almost every day. “I feel everything,” is often my reply. And that is truly the best answer I give.

How can someone feel everything all at once? How can something so good also be so hard? Where is God in all of this? Why is He letting me go through this pain?

He is RIGHT. HERE. In the middle with me. He is carrying me through this season with love and kindness, and I am letting Him.

Many people have asked how I am handling or managing this crazy season. My response is always, “I’m floating on the grace of God.”

But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV

Grace is more than forgiveness. It is more than salvation for our sins. It’s His kindness. Grace is power! It is the gift of God, with the power of God to carry us through every situation in life. Grace enables us to overcome victoriously…

How do we float on the grace of God?

Grace is power! It is the gift of God, alongside His power to carry us through every situation in life. Grace enables us to overcome victoriously. Click To Tweet

3 Tips for Floating

1. Recognize you need Him. We are weak, and that is okay. Actually, it is good. When we are weak, His strength and glory can be displayed all the more.

2. Let Him carry you. Go at the pace that Jesus sets. His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always right!

3. Rest in His loving arms. When we are in a season of chaos is when we need God’s grace the most. We will fail. We will disappoint others. We will not be perfect. But, we can rest in His love. His loving embrace holds us in our imperfections, sustains us in our weaknesses and empowers us to continue.

When we float on the grace of God, we live every day victorious!

The Creative Exchange

repentance, sin, shame, surrender, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

New: Dragging Our Haunting Shame to the Feet of Jesus

Devotionals, Stay SaneDecember 4, 2018January 13, 2019

There are days we allow shame to take over our minds. We must remember that through Christ we are made new, our sin has no hold over us, we are redeemed.

It’s no wonder winter brings so much sorrow. It’s downright ugly outside…most days. Winter has a way of isolating us. Or is it hibernation? There are days it’s hard to get out of bed. Days where past transgressions flood our minds and paralyze our ability to push through.

I believe, there’s a direct correlation between the grayness of the sky and how much pain we allow in.

Haunted

Days like these truly haunt me. Yes, I do love the occasional rainy, snuggly day. But, a whole season of gray really does a work on my mind.

It takes strength to push down the enemy and his lies. Moreover, it takes strength to ask the Lord to be your strength. It’s just easier to wallow in loathing. To toss and turn in the mixture of mud and pure white snow…muck.

That’s just what we do. We take the new, clean slate the Lord paid the ultimate price for, and roll it through the slopping mess that is sin and shame. Every time I allow the past to rule my present, I take my tiny human hand and smack my Savior right in His blood-soaked face. Soaked from the thorns and nails meant for me.

It’s important for me to make this image strong and unforgettable because my deep, dark sin seems to be strong and unforgettable. An unrelenting force, pushing its way to the surface of my being; begging and pleading for the acknowledgment of my darkness.

Remember how wretched you are!? Relive all that darkness; dwell on it. Nail it into your memory! May you NEVER forget how pathetically weak you truly are.

Surrender

I can’t imagine what my life would look like if I surrendered every day to these hauntings. If I didn’t have the anchor of Jesus. I understand self-harm and suicide so clearly. It’s the absence of hope, the inability to overcome the ghosts, torture the mind cannot endure.

In the depths, the pits, when we have come to the end of ourselves, and truly don’t know what to do next, surrender is our only option. Who we surrender to is the question…

Will we surrender to the one who wishes to devour our souls? The one who never forgets our sins and wants nothing more than to destroy us…

Or, will we surrender to the only One who can truly save us? The One who forgets all our filthy, wretched crimes and covers us with His love…

The answer seems easy, but in the midst of battle, it can be hard to tell up from down, light from dark…

Light

Yes, I understand how heavy and dark these words have gotten. But, it’s in this darkness God shines the brightest. (Sorry to get cliche on you…but also not sorry.) Think about it. God cannot outshine Himself, nor can He be the darkness. So in the darkness, He shines brightest and in the light of life, He is.

Okay, I’ll take my philosophical cap off and talk real talk…

When we decide to surrender to the One, Jesus, it allows us to see His brilliance clearly. His light bursts through, piercing the depths and disintegrating the blackness. When we choose to surrender every day, not just in the depths, we see His light in everything!

New

EVERY DAY I have to drag my sin and shame to the feet of Jesus. I demand it to stare my Savior in the face…

“Look at HIM! Look at His sacrifice on my behalf. You have no power here. You will not shadow His sacrifice in order to ridicule me. Nor will you reduce me to trash. I’ve been beautifully purchased through the blood of Jesus. You are forgotten. I am redeemed. I am new.”

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18, NLT

Think about this verse… really dwell on it…

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8, ESV

That means He became our sacrifice even though we are wretched. He died on our behalf even though we are disobedient. He took our place even though we continue to sin, and sin again.

EVERY DAY we must drag our shame to the feet of Jesus. We must demand it to stare our Savior in the face... Click To Tweet

Psalm 51

When my disgrace pushes it’s way to the surface, I try my best to remember I’m not alone. I’m living in a world full of people with sin. Those who have lived before me, aren’t blameless either. Case and point, David…

When I read Psalm 51, I remember just how sinful we can fall. But also, just how much we are in need of salvation. Psalm 51 was penned after David’s dealings with Bathsheba… if you don’t know how ugly this part of David’s life is, read 2 Samuel 11. You’ll understand why this Psalm is so powerful.

Sisters, when our sin “haunts us day and night” (Psalm 51:3), may we recognize the price Jesus paid… We are “washed whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7) through His blood.