Devotionals – Page 25 – Oh Lord Help Us

Honesty and Truth: It’s Going to Be Uncomfortable

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 10, 2018January 13, 2019

Enemy: Showing Love to All Those Around Us

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 9, 2018January 13, 2019

We are instructed to love our enemy. But who is our enemy? Am I able to show Christ’s love to those who are difficult to love?

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” These are the words of Jesus found in Matthew 5:44. I grew up hearing, and being taught these words. They’ve always sounded good, something that all people should strive for, but not something that was ever put into tangible daily practice. Perhaps it should have been.

Showing love…

A tragedy occurred back in July of 2015 that perfectly demonstrates what this means. After the shootings in Charleston, SC there were no riots in response to the evil that occurred. Instead, people came together and loved each other. I believe this is mainly due to how the family of the victims responded to the young man that forever changed their lives. They forgave him. They showed love to him.

I came across the story of a teen who, back in 1996, was willing to sacrifice herself to stop a mob beating of a man they believed to be a part of the KKK. Instead of joining in, or even standing by, she protected him. She showed love to him. (I urge you to go and read about this girl, and to see the pictures of love fighting hate.)

But what is LOVE? And who is our ENEMY? And what does this look like day to day?

What love is…

Love defined:

attraction based on sexual desire
strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another

The bible describes love as:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV

How to love…

There is a problem with “love” though, because it means something different to different people at different times. It is only understood in certain ways within certain relationships. I’m not going to show love to a jerk at the grocery store the same way I need to show love to my three year old (who can also act like a jerk). I’m also not going to show love to the friend I just made the same way I show love to my hubby (that would be awkward).

In the case of the Charleston shootings, the families showed love by forgiving. The teen showed love by sacrificing. As a mother (especially those first couple of months) love is giving all with receiving nothing in return. In a relationship with a spouse, it’s not uncommon to show love by being confrontational with a truth they don’t want to hear. And sometimes (like with strangers and social media) we can show love by simply keeping our mouths shut.

This is where it gets even stickier. In a society where our closest “friend” is Facebook, we feel like we need to be honest and confrontational with “truth” claiming it is with the desire to show “love” (the definition of truth is a whole different topic). But that’s kinda like being confronted with how to parent your children by the clerk at Target. This actually happened to me, and you know what? It TICKED ME OFF!!! And now I avoid her line at all cost. It shouldn’t be surprising if people start avoiding us because we are “lovingly” telling them that they are wrong.

Love is only understood in certain ways within certain relationships. Click To Tweet

Who our enemy is…

Next, we ask the question, who is our ENEMY?

Is it an abuser? A religious leader or organization? Rednecks? Conservatives? Liberals? The clerk at Target?

Back to the dictionary:

someone who hates another
someone who attacks or tries to harm another
something that harms or threaten someone or something
a group of people (such as a nation) against whom another group is fighting a war

To “love your enemy” does not mean that you agree with or condone the act that is offensive. It may, however, mean that you have to forgive them (and possibly sever ties with them), or put aside your own wishes and sacrifice for them. Perhaps it means you confront them, or maybe you simply need to bite your tongue and not say anything.

But one thing that is perfectly clear, we must pray for them. Pray more than you speak. Or type.

This post was originally published July 2015 after the Charleston, SC shootings.

parenting, children, plans, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, ministry

Plans: Trusting God’s Goodness for Our Children’s Lives

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 7, 2018June 28, 2019

Being a parent as a Christian means putting God first. Allowing God’s plans for our children can be scary, but we can trust His goodness.

I don’t always put my best foot forward as a parent. Sometimes I lose my temper, don’t listen to everything my children have to say, and am too quick to judgement.

On the other hand I have two children who think for themselves and can explain their thinking. My oldest just moved into a house with some friends and is totally ready to do some “adult-ing.” She is a college junior who has a plan for her future. My youngest is learning to let go of his fears and try new things. But the thing that I’m most proud of is their relationship with Jesus.

My daughter has learned that when life gets difficult, you should turn to Jesus and allow Him to help center your life. Phillip and I, as parents, have been able to model that for her. When she has turned to us for advice, the first thing we say to her is, start by praying.

Sharing God’s goodness comes so naturally to my son. He talks about Jesus at school often. Teachers, peers, and other parents have told me how kind he is and that they love being around him. A mom can’t ask for more than that.

Trusting the Father…

As I was reflecting on how amazing my children are in spite of my parenting mistakes, I thought about Mary and Joseph as parents to Jesus. First of all, can you imagine the pressure? Parents to God’s son? Whew!

Luke 2:41-52 tells the story of Jesus going to the temple at Passover. There was a large group of family members. It must have been quite a crowd because it wasn’t till the evening after they left, on their way home, Mary noticed that twelve-year-old Jesus was missing.

Mary’s panic must have been off the chart. She and Joseph took off back to Jerusalem looking for him. It took them three days of searching to find Jesus. He had never left the temple.

When they found him they were so relieved. But like any mother, Mary was ready to scold Jesus. If it had been me I would have raised my voice in a whisper through loud hiccuping sobs – “Where have you been? Your father and I have been looking everywhere for you. You have worried us sick.”

Instead of apologizing he says,

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

Luke 2:49, NIV

We don’t know much else about Jesus’ childhood except from this point on he was obedient and continued to learn and grow. He was well liked by the people who met him.

It seems a little counter intuitive to how we would handle the situation, but then our children aren’t divine either. What I learn from this passage is that when our children are in the arms of our Father, they are always okay.

Allowing God’s Plans…

Being a parent is such a gift, and a huge responsibility. The most important thing to remember isn’t any kind of professional advice or information from a parent guru. It’s a simple truth that is part of being a Christian – trust God. As humans we can’t see God’s plan, but we should trust that He has one not just for our lives, but for our children as well.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV

When we trust in our God, our worries for ourselves and our children will fall away. When we plant them and ourselves in God’s amazing garden we will all grow to be full and vibrant. That is God’s promise to us.

As humans we can't see God's plan, but we should trust that He has one not just for our lives, but for our children as well. Click To Tweet

Dear God,

Thank you for blessing me with two beautiful children. Reveal to me Your path for their life. Give me the tools to help guide them toward Your light and love.

love,

Adam Cain

weakness, strength, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, mentoring, scripture, ministry

Weakness: A Curse For Humanity or a Blessing From God?

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 7, 2018January 13, 2019

Weakness is hidden in our culture. It conjures up negative images. Chronic, and mental illness can feel like a curse, leaving us drained and tired of feeling weak.

The first time I heard the word weak used in a disapproving way was in reference to my mom when I was 13 or 14. Dad had called my older brother and me into the kitchen for a “talk,” which we can all remember usually meant bad news – either one of us was in trouble or someone had died! This time, however, dad told us he was taking mom to a local mental health hospital because he didn’t know ‘what else to do with her.’

Weak is a 4-Letter Word

During my lifetime, Mom had had many occasions of sickness when she couldn’t get out of bed, but when she was up and at it, Mom was a tiger. Mom ruled with an iron fist; nobody messed with Mom! Consequently, my young teen mind was shocked. I remember clearly saying to him, “But Dad, she’s so strong!” My 16 year-old brother scoffed at me as my dad said with a tone of weariness and disgust, “Dodie, your mom is weak…and she needs help.”

Note to self: Weakness is bad.

No Room For The Weak

Mental illness was a shameful, embarrassing thing in my parent’s generation. To a degree, despite all the publicity and “awareness,” people battling mental illness today continue to be treated as less-than, dismissed, and weak. Sadly, even in the church, Christians seldom disclose their struggle with mental illness or chronic illness, for that matter. As author and life coach Amy Simpson stated:

Some have actually shared their pain or their ongoing battle with a loved one’s illness. And now people keep their distance. No one asks, “How are you doing?” because they’re afraid to hear the answer. Maybe they experience the biting dismissal of trite sayings or admonitions to “just have more faith” or “pray harder.”

Why speak up when they are accused of being weak in faith? But, aren’t we admonished to be “strong in the Lord and the strength of His might?” (Ephesians 6:10, NAS). ‘Victory in Jesus,’ and all that? I could fill volumes with the sermons and songs I’ve heard concerning us having strength in the Lord. And I understand the need for encouragement to persevere in the dark hours – heck, even daily; believe me, I do.

However, what are we to do with our weakness, especially if we can’t share it with our fellow believers?

All of my older teen years and adult life I have hated, loathed weakness in me. Of course, unconsciously, weakness reminded me of my mother, her addictions and the way she manipulated us with her “illnesses.” Weakness ‘hooked’ me, as a therapist would say. I fought and raged against it, kicked back, pushed away from it. And my resistance was worse after being diagnosed with a chronic illness, when my own body worked against me. I felt betrayed!

But what am I to make of Hebrews 4:15-16?

Jesus Was Weak, Too?!

…Because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin. Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help.

Hebrews 4:15-16, CEB

Right, right, Jesus was weak for a while, but He was God…

NO. No ‘buts.’

Brennan Manning implored that Christians “enter into the seriousness of this revelation, of the conjunction between priesthood [of the believer] and weakness…” in Souvenirs of Solitude.

How paradoxical this mystery is: The strength of the priesthood lies precisely in and through the weakness of our humanity. Why? For two reasons, I think. Weakness relates us profoundly to the people we serve; it allows us to feel with them the human condition, the human struggle and darkness and anguish that call out for salvation. Further, weakness relates us profoundly and apostolically to God because it provides the arena in which His power can move and reveal itself; His power is made manifest in weakness.

Weakness Invites God’s Strength

So, truly the question is: do I want His power manifested in me in order to serve others with humility? Or do I simply want my own paltry efforts, which continually frustrate and fail me? I can trade my feeble efforts in for the awesome power of God by surrendering my weaknesses to Him and trust Him to use them for His glory. It seems like an easy choice, but some days the old mental tapes and pride wage a mighty battle.

I wonder, sometimes, how long Paul pleaded with God to remove his ‘thorn in the flesh’. We are told he asked three times, but how long between each request? Was Paul as stubborn as I am? In light of eternity, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Paul heard and obeyed the answer from God:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NKJV

I admit, I’m still learning to take pleasure in infirmities, reproaches and needs. At least I’m not kicking and screaming as much…and I’m thanking my Father more for this strange paradox of weakness leading to strength…

His strength perfected in weakness…may it be so, Lord Jesus.

I can trade my feeble efforts in for the awesome power of God by surrendering my weaknesses to Him and trust Him to use them for His glory. Click To Tweet

Karina Vorozheeva

home, community, fellowship, alone, mentoring, Christian, scripture, Oh Lord Help Us

Home: Five Tips for Building Community Where We Are

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 6, 2018July 30, 2019

Where we feel the most at home, isn’t always where we end up. Often times, it takes our own will power to seek out and build community where we land.

There’s something about going “home”. I love returning to the place of my childhood. Especially in the summer. I was able to return to Indiana this past weekend, and so many things made me miss my home state. The cool grass on my bare feet, the summer breeze that rarely happens in the South, the tall corn fields that make me feel protected. When I close my eyes, I can feel and smell and sense that this is home.

Community

Those pleasing sensations really do make me miss my home. But, when I close my eyes, I also see the community we left behind. Most of my family lives there, our beautiful church family, the friends I made as an adult, long-time family friends. The deepest parts of my soul, long for familiar community again.

I left a piece of myself, a piece of my heart, in all those I cherish.

With community comes a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose. There is confidence that no matter the season of life, we are not physically alone. When one is weak, the other is strong (Ecclesiastes 4:10).

Home Alone

When we moved to North Carolina, it was easy for me to seclude myself. I have a hard enough time making relationships, let alone attempting this while grieving the loss of my community. No one was checking up on me. No one making sure I was going to church or getting involved. This is dangerous for someone who is prone to hermit-hood…

Just let me be in my house, my safe place, and I’m happy. Or am I?

And the Lord God said, “It isn’t good for man to be alone; I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs.”

Genesis 2:18, ESV

God knew, even from the beginning, man should not be left alone. It’s not healthy for us to be alone, left to our own thoughts and plans. We need companionship. We need community.

It's not healthy for us to be alone, left to our own thoughts and plans. We need companionship. We need community. Click To Tweet

Building Fellowship

Fellowship isn’t always effortless. There are times we have to be diligent in creating it, but as I said before, I tend to be a hermit. I’m learning to break through this personality flaw. It’s only taken me 4 years to realize I have had the power all along. Through prayer, God is showing me ways I can stretch…He always answers prayers. Here are the areas He’s laid on my heart:

Go to church and get involved…

When we exhausted all the church options in our new area, we found that the effortlessness of our old church was very rare. I was not prepared to have to put effort into feeling like we belonged somewhere. I thought we would just fit right in, in the right church. Thus, creating a horrible habit of not even attending church. We are still working on fixing this habit, but we have found our church. Now, it takes ME to get involved and make it home.

Open up our homes, be hospitable…

I’m awful at this, Lord knows I need to work on my “grumbling”. Whether it be busyness, messiness, or lack of funds, I seem to always have an excuse to not open my home to others. This is not the command of God…

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

1 Peter 4:9, NIV

Practice sacrificial giving…

One way to build relationships and solidarity with others is to give what you have. It can be time, money, food; whatever we have. Everything we possess must be held with open hands because it all flows from God, above.

All believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.

Acts 4:32, NIV

Share our stories, our testimonies…

Vulnerability and transparency have been my battle cries for about a year now. We all have our stories and they are important to share. Every single one, points directly to our good Father! No matter how wretched we were/are, God is still so good. And, in that truth, we find commonality. Camaraderie.

So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind.

1 Thessalonians 5:10, MSG

Show love, always…

This seems like a no-brainer, but so often we fall short of this commandment. When we put on love, fellowship falls right into place. All these other tips just seem to happen. Love is the greatest commandment. To put it plainly, love the Lord and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). Making sure our actions align with God’s word, is a good way to prove we are achieving love and building community with one another….

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:14, ESV

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

1 Peter 4:8,10, ESV

Where Are You?

Are you in this position? Feeling alone, left out, like you don’t belong? Have you found yourself in a place that doesn’t feel quite like home? In a place where community seems so distant? Trust me, I truly know this walk. I wish with all my heart I could walk alongside of you. Help you create a new community. But know this, when you are struggling to build that community with your own efforts, God has just what you need.

Masaaki Komori

Honesty and Truth: We Have (not) Arrived

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 3, 2018January 13, 2019

shaping, pruning, attack, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian mentoring, spiritual growth, women of faith

Shaping: Rest in the God Who Prunes the Ones He Loves

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 2, 2018July 30, 2019

Resting in Jesus feels wild; almost unsafe, especially when we feel like things are being stripped away. But relinquishing control to the One who lovingly prunes us to produce even more growth is the only true safety we will ever know.

The dream…

It was 8 to 10 years in the future. I was visiting my daughters who had moved back to our hometown. They shared a quaint little house in Old Louisville. The yard boasted a beautiful flower garden, ornate grape vines and a handful of dogwood and pear trees. When I arrived, we took a trip to pick up the spoils of their CSA shares, then we returned to their home and started fixing dinner. I looked outside at the sunset—a wild array of slate and cerulean blues hovering over a peachy inferno. I mused aloud how I had missed Kentucky sunsets.

While I looked on, white lightning spilt the sky, striking the heart of the sunset. Void of rain, the lightning continued to make contact with the earth, igniting a blaze that headed straight for the house. I told the girls we had to evacuate; they hurried to grab a few belongings. But as I glanced back out the window, the roaring wildfire had not only gone around the house, but the yard as well. The trees, the grass, the flowers in their garden…nothing was singed.

Back to reality…

When I awoke I played back the dream in my mind. Then a familiar verse from childhood sprung from memory:

A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not approach you.

Psalm 91:7, NASB

What a sweet assurance! I immediately began praising God for His guarantee to guard and guide His children. Even more, I can rejoice and wholly trust in the One who raises the dead to protect and secure the children God has entrusted to me while here on earth.

Piecing together…

Ironically, the morning after my dream the fire alarm tripped near the close of our church service. There was no fire, thankfully, and everyone evacuated the building safely. The Lord even held the rain that had been relentless for the previous 24 hours. As we stood waiting for the fire squad to clear the building, someone mentioned the cause being the enemy trying to mess things up. I thought, perhaps—but after seeing what God has done in my daughter Anna’s life, I am not as quick to witness negativity or even tragedy and say Oh; that’s the devil. Spiritual warfare? Maybe, but so much more I view things through the lens of God pruning to bear even more fruit as opposed to the devil dolling out body blocks.

God is always working…

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

John 15:2, ESV

Confession…

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard and read John 15:2. But it wasn’t until I wrote it out last week that I caught the wording. I have been reading it incorrectly for years! My brain deceived me. You see, I thought it said: every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does not bear fruit He prunes. It sounded repetitive, but hey, maybe Jesus just wanted to drive it home. However, I added a “not” in my brain. The second part of that verse says: “and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Pruning is not punishment. Its purpose is to bring about even more blessing, more glory, greater victory.

Let’s go back to the supposition that the devil is lurking around every corner to ambush us. The bible clearly says to be on the alert.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8, ESV

The devil is always looking for someone to trap and deceive for all eternity. And if he’s lost the eternal battle, at the very least he wants to obliterate our faith in God and render us useless for the kingdom. The devil seeks to shake us up to the point of forsaking our reliance on Christ. However, Satan has no power over followers of Jesus Christ. And Romans tells us to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

We grant authority to whomever we trust. The devil has no authority over any Christian, except the authority we grant him by believing him.

John Bloom

The devil seeks to shake us up to the point of forsaking our reliance on Christ. However, Satan has no power over followers of Jesus Christ. Click To Tweet

Abiding in the Vine…

I have about two dozen house plants. They all have names and I may or may not talk to them. (Okay; I do.) My first encounter with pruning came about a few years ago. My friend Katy gifted me a beautiful succulent with bright yellow flowers one Sunday morning. Months later, after all the blooms had withered, the plant (whom I’d named after it’s giver) failed to thrive. I tried giving her more water, then less water, but her growth was halted and she began to look feeble. After researching I found the answer. Cut the plant down to its base, set it in a dark room and leave it alone for a month with no water. WHAT?! That sounded wildly barbaric! But what choice did I have? She was dying anyway. So, I followed the instructions and left her cut down and dry in the dark for 30 days.

When I went to retrieve Katy on the 31^st day I was surprised and delighted to find vibrant green leaves shooting up! To this day she is double in size and still thriving. Now, when I read John 15, I am reminded of my sweet little plant and how we as the branches are completely dependent on the true Vine. For that purpose, we are invited to remain joined to Jesus. And as we are pruned and receive nourishment from Him, we grow stronger and more vibrant and God is glorified.

Wild Vines…

I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

John 15:5-8, MSG

The next time something wild happens, I will look to see how God is working through the madness. And I pray I remember He is ever seeking to bring about true joy in children and full glory to Himself.

Annie Spratt

limits, love, Oh Lord Help Us, spiritual growth, women of faith, Christian mentoring

Limits: Learning to Love With Your Whole Heart

Devotionals, Stay SaneAugust 1, 2018July 30, 2019

We are to love God with our whole heart, and others without limits even when it hurts. We will feel the pain of love when we choose to invest in people.

I have heard it said that when you have kids, a piece of your heart lives in someone else’s body. Having three kids of my own, I know this to be very true! Their little smiles, their dreams, their ideas, their laughs, their smells and even their sins are all wrapped up in little packages of human right before me. God took a part of me and a part of my husband and made these beautiful, wonderful gifts. They truly are gifts from God. And my heart is in them, walking around at their school, on their sports teams, in their play, in their work. That is my heart out there learning to navigate this big, beautiful world. I long to be with them, hold them close. I want them to love what I love. Share my passions and my dreams. They are my heart.

I wonder, does a piece of God’s heart live in each one of His children? Does He watch as we take His heart into our homes, workplaces, schools and neighborhoods? Does He long to be with us, long to hold us close, long for us to love what He loves? I believe He does. I believe this is a part what it means to be made in God’s image. But it’s not just my kids. I have left a huge piece of my heart in a nation across the ocean, in another world, another culture.

Living overseas changes you, no matter how long or short your time in another land, you can never be the same. We were blessed with an incredible experience to live in North Africa for a time. It was beautiful. Palm trees swaying in the breeze, gorgeous sunsets like none other, exotic sounds and smells, the kindness of people all around me. Constant jabber in a foreign tongue. I loved it. Living in another country was hard, to say the least. But to me, living in North Africa was a little piece of Heaven. I was home. When circumstances forced us to leave earlier than expected, I wept.

Love With Limits

I constantly feel the ache of knowing that when I left my Beloved Tunisia, I left a piece of my heart there, too. I live daily with the strain of living in one place I now call home and missing another that was my home. I miss the smells, the food, the sunsets, the sounds, the colorful Medina. I miss speaking another language, walking and riding in taxis. I miss looking into beautiful Tunisian faces and telling them they are loved, they are special. That nation, those people and culture changed me. Jesus changed me. It has been seven years since we returned to the States, but I still long to return to my other home.

So being thus tenderly and affectionately desirous of you, we continued to share with you, not only God’s good news (the Gospel), but also our own lives as well, for you had become so very dear to us.

1 Thessalonians 2:8, AMP

Love Without Limits

So, how do we do it? How do we live life day in and day out, with our hearts spread all over the place? How do we live with the limits the world and circumstances place on our hearts? Some days my heart feels shattered. I wonder why I am here. I beg God to show me my purpose.

Yet, there is holiness in the shattered pieces. A love that bleeds through barriers of culture, age, status, situation.
Jesus let His heart be shattered to save our world. The more we know Him, the more we become like Him, the more we gaze into His eyes, the more we love like Him. To love Jesus with my whole heart, means I might need to let it shatter.

For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died;

2 Corinthians 5:14, AMP

Don’t be afraid to love until your heart is bursting! Wherever you are, whatever your life stage, you are called to love. Love with abandon, without restraint. Love through the mess, through the aching. When we love Jesus with our whole heart, He holds the shattered pieces, and gives us His own heart. When we choose to invest in people, love without limits, He holds us tenderly. The more we love Him, the more we love like Him.

When we love Jesus with our whole heart, He holds the shattered pieces, and gives us His own heart. Click To Tweet

Marko Blažević

cleansing, forgiveness, Oh Lord Help Us, spiritual growth, women of faith, Christian mentoring

Cleansing: The Lord Desires to Repair Us Physically and Spiritually

Devotionals, Stay SaneJuly 31, 2018September 8, 2019

As temples of the Holy Spirit, we need the Lord’s full cleansing. We can stay clean by filling ourselves only with things that nourish our spirit.

If you’re like me, there are problems in your life that you have tried to ignore or tolerate for far too long. We can struggle along with these problems; we can limp through half-hearted attempts at a resolution. Often we ping and pong back and forth between hope and despair that our problems will ever fully be resolved. But if we’ll let Him, the Lord brings us to a point where we finally cry, “Mercy!” That is the point when we choose to face and deal with the problem once and for all. It’s a hard place. But it’s such an important place to get to. It’s where we relinquish our control over the problem and fully put it into God’s hands. Ultimately, it’s the place where we find His physical and spiritual cleansing.

The roots of the problem…

I’ve gotten to this place in my physical health, and the things I’m learning apply to my spiritual health as well. For years, I have struggled with stomach problems. The earliest roots of the problem wind their way back to my preteen and teenage years when I experienced an onslaught of emotional trauma. Over the course of my adolescence, my parents divorced; my dad died of a massive heart attack, and I bounced from one home to another, eventually living with six different foster families by the time I graduated high school.

Throughout all those emotionally unsettling years, my stomach was very upset. Seemingly out of nowhere, I became lactose intolerant; I had severe acid reflux and heartburn. And throughout the years, the problems gradually intensified. I was diagnosed with IBS. More and more foods began to bother me, causing severe abdominal cramping, skin rashes, headaches… You name the gastrointestinal symptom, I’ve had it. Now, before this post starts to sound like a script for all the possible side effects on your average pharmaceutical commercial, let’s take this analogy in a spiritual direction!

I need a cleansing…

I need an overhaul, a cleansing. I’m tired of limping through life, just coping with this problem that has plagued me for decades. And I’m not willing to settle for a partial solution, some band aid prescription that will just tame the symptoms temporarily. I want to get down to the root causes of what’s going on in my system and work to repair and heal all that I can. So, this the point where I turn it over to the Lord.

I know that He can help me to heal, and He’s provided everything I need to heal in His creation. It’s just a matter of my committing to the process and being unwilling to accept anything less that than a full recovery. As such, I’m beginning a six week dietary cleanse, a detox, a resetting of my gut, with the expected end of healing. So, here’s the spiritual tie in. Hopefully it provides some “food for thought.”

What we put into ourselves matters…

With food, when we’re hungry, we can reach for the cookies, or we can opt for a nutrient dense snack. And the effects in our body will reflect the choices we make. When it comes to our soul and spirit, what we feed ourselves matters too. In every moment, there are choices we can make. When I wake up, do I reach for my Bible and journal and get still before the Lord? Or do I grab for my cell phone with my calendar and my to do list? The first choice feeds my spirit with the fortification I will inevitably need throughout the day. The second choice fills me with stress and anxiety over all that I need to accomplish.

When I have a brief span of peace and quiet in the afternoon, do I intentionally reach for an inspirational book or encouraging blog post? Or do I absentmindedly scroll through social media, comparing my life to everyone else’s and feeling like I don’t measure up? When I’m tired at the end of a long day, do I reach for the remote and binge watch some reality tv show where other people are pursuing their creative dreams? Or do I work on a song I’m writing or watch a sermon from a speaker or pastor I like? All of these little choices matter because they have immediate and cumulative effects in my mind, my soul, and my spirit. What am I feeding my spirit?

What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, KJV

Filling my temple…

If I’m filling my temple full of worldly wisdom, carnal desires, and earthly comparison…I’m bringing things into the temple that are not holy and acceptable to the Lord. When I renew my mind with the Word of God, nourish my soul with uplifting music, and keep my mind on things above rather than on things below, I’m filling my temple with things that are life-giving. I’m building my temple up rather than tearing it down. And if what we put into ourselves matters, we know that what comes out will reflect what we have put in.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Luke 6:45, KJV

Removing the blockages…

I’ve learned something very interesting in my health journey: Even if I’m eating very healthy foods, if I still have underlying issues in my gut, I can’t even absorb the good nutrients that I’m trying to get from the healthy food I’m eating. So, until I fully heal my gut, no matter how healthy I’m trying to be, I will still suffer from the same symptoms.

The spiritual side of this coin looks very similar. Even if we are trying to put the right things into our spirit man, if we still have underlying sin–unforgiveness, resentment, anger, envy–the sermons from church and scriptures from the Bible can’t fully sink in. We must remove the blockages in our spirit that prevent the Truth from fully penetrating our heart.

Just as a detox diet or a cleanse is meant to clear out the garbage lingering in our physical system, when we realize we have unaddressed sin, we have to turn our temple over to the Lord for His complete cleansing. Click To Tweet

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9, KJV

Keeping the temple clean…

And once He has cleansed us, we have to be vigilant to keep our temples clean. So, when I finish this six week reset of my gut microbiome, the goal isn’t to then go out and gorge myself on all the junk food I’ve been craving. The point is to identify and eliminate the foods that hurt me and to only reintroduce the foods that are healthy and nourishing to my system.

And so it goes with our faith walk. We need to pay close attention to the things we’re watching, the relationships we’re maintaining, and the thoughts we’re thinking. If they have been toxic to our faith, we have to identify and eliminate the things that don’t serve us. And once we are fully cleansed, we are better equipped to handle the more difficult things in life because we’re approaching them with a clean heart. Let’s follow the Word’s prescription for the kind of pure, clean diet we need to feed our spirit:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8, KJV

What kind of diet have you been feeding your spirit lately? Are there things that you need to be cleansed of?

Kumiko SHIMIZU

proud, confidence, approved, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian Mentoring, Spiritual growth, Women of Faith

Proud: Three Keys to Living With the Confidence of Approval

Devotionals, Stay SaneJuly 30, 2018January 13, 2019

We wonder if people are proud of us and our accomplishments. Are we doing enough? We CAN live with this confidence of approval…

But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

Romans 4:5, NLT

As I have mentioned before, my little girl is the sunshine in my life; but she is also my thunderstorm. Some of this is her age, some of it is her personality, and some of it is that she is just like me. One night, after an emotionally exhausting day of parenting, we were having a much needed time of snuggling. Snuggling always seems to redeem the day’s shortcomings. While snuggling I prayed this over her…

Lord, Thank you for Lena, for the joy she is in my life. Give me wisdom on how to best guide her and direct her. I pray she comes to know you at an early age. I pray she knows the strengths you have given her and wisdom to know how to use them confidently. And I pray she is aware of the weaknesses she has so that she will be dependent on you.

As we continued to embrace and rock in the rocking chair, I began to reflect on my relationship with my mom. My mom was determined, and passionate, and fought hard for those she loved. The older I get, and the older my children get, my admiration for her – and for the mother she was – continues to swell.

However, I had seasons of life where I felt I needed more from her. Mainly, I was never quite sure if she was proud of me. She seemed to always compliment my siblings, but never me. My sister was so smart and beautiful (she was and is). My brother was so giving and generous (he was and is). And my other brother was such a hard worker with strong character (he was and is). So who was I?

Being the youngest, and wanting so badly to have the approval of my family, I was constantly striving to prove myself. I want to be all those traits of my siblings. Keeping up with them and their accomplishments pushed me to work hard. And I loved (and still love) working hard. But I never heard the words.

Proud…

When my mom died, my husband and I were living in Atlanta, and we did not make it home in time to say goodbye. We drove back to Kentucky with heavy, sorrow-filled hearts. Pulling up to my parents home, with all my siblings and my dad there, my mind couldn’t grasp the reality that she was gone. I fell into my dad’s embrace, and the first words he said to me was, “Your mom was so proud of you.”

He has no idea what impact those words have had on me. After talking about this with my siblings, it turns out that this was just how mom operated. Turns out, she was complimenting me, but not to me. And she was complimenting them, but not to them. I really do not know why this was the case, but I know she had her own set of issues to work through with her own parents.

Not to sound completely pessimistic, but no one escapes childhood without some sort of issue. Yes, some are more extreme than others, but we were all raised by imperfect parents and all have had to deal with their shortcomings. I know mine will. Setting up a fund for them so they can pay for counseling later in life is not such a bad idea.

After reflecting on my childhood, I said to my little girl…

You will do mighty things. I hope I can embrace the roller coaster journey of your life. You will be fun to watch, and emotionally exhausting. Know that I will always be proud of you, but also know that that will not be enough for you. My approval of you will never be enough. You will only find that in Jesus. He is the only thing that will fulfill you.

Three Keys…

This journey to finding and truly accepting that our approval comes from the Lord, is a long one. So many weeds of doubt, and deception, and despair have to be pulled out. We try to get away with simply cutting them down, and this can be a fix for the short-term, but they will just keep coming back.

Recognize the doubt. Life has all of us so busy, that we rarely take the time to stop and think. Or perhaps it is because it is just too painful to think, so we live life reacting to the circumstances around us. If we can pinpoint what the source is, then we can see the enemy we are fighting is most likely not the person we are in “combat” with.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12, ESV

Fight the deception. Positive affirmations can help, but only God’s word will truly dig out the root. With our culture of quick fixes, it is tempting to give up when we don’t see progress immediately. We want to go back to the temporary fix. Consistently learning who God is, and who He says we are, will give us true confidence.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, NIV

Replace the despair. Rejoice in who God created each of us to be! We are all unique, with our unique gifts. God is so creative. We do not need to strive to be like someone else, we are free to be ourselves! And He absolutely approves of us.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8, NLT

Where are you on the journey? Do you ever wonder if the Lord approves of you?

This journey to finding and truly accepting that our approval comes from the Lord, is a long one. So many weeds of doubt, and deception, and despair have to be pulled out. Click To Tweet

Miguel Bruna