Clearly, we all know or should know that we are assured of victory in Christ, but how do we stay grounded in this truth day-to-day when the reality of our trials makes us feel far from victorious? What do we do when our circumstances seem more like a hindrance to serving the Lord and living our life to the fullest? No cap, even though we are confident in the truth of God’s Word and who we are in Christ, the effects of these circumstances can take a toll on our minds, bodies, and spirits.
Do I have your attention now?
Maybe your life has taken a detour, derailing your plans and leaving you unsure, or even afraid, of what your future may hold. Or maybe you were pursuing a goal, dream, or ministry opportunity when a devastating diagnosis or a strained relationship shut the door on where you thought God was leading you. Perhaps the loss of a loved one battling with COVID has sent you spiraling into unpredictable waves of grief, leaving you paralyzed and unsure of how to keep moving. There are countless circumstances that can leave us perplexed, afraid of the future, and feeling powerless to improve our situation.
However, despite how helpless we may feel in these moments, we are never truly helpless, and it’s never a surprise to God. In fact, it’s in these very moments that we are driven into a deeper trust in God’s sovereignty, goodness, faithfulness, and power, and have the opportunity to watch him work in ways that only He can.
With that said, when the bottom appears to be falling out from underneath your feet remember what David said in Psalm 34:17-18, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles [circumstances]. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Friends, it doesn’t matter how bad it gets, God will always get the glory because impossible circumstances are where God’s glory shine the brightest!
The personal quote cited in today’s picture is a true testament near and dear to my heart.
I have been building homes for over 20+ years and when it’s time for me to set expectations with respect to the differences between perfection and quality one of the things I always find myself saying is, “Until you find me a perfect tree, I can’t build you a perfect home, so expect quality not perfection.”
There is no such thing as a perfect home and there is no such thing as a perfect Christian; at least not on this side of heaven.
One of the biggest lies Satan can tell you is that perfect spirituality can be achieved — it can’t.
Let’s be clear:
There’s no perfect denomination.
There’s no perfect church.
There’s no perfect pastor.
There’s no perfect congregation size.
There’s no perfect style of worship.
There’s no perfect theology.
There’s no perfect children’s ministry curriculum.
There’s no perfect youth ministry philosophy.
There’s no perfect sermon formula.
There’s no perfect service sequence.
There’s no perfect leadership structure.
Inevitably, a desire for spiritual perfection leads to legalism, elitism, judgment, bigotry, fear, shame, guilt, alienation, exclusivism, and hatred. It becomes a destructive form of idolatry. It can also lead to a deep sense of worthlessness, hopelessness, anxiety, and burnout.
It’s time for Christians to accept grace, complexity, and the idea that we don’t know everything — and never will. Embrace the freedom of Christ! Going one step further, we must admit that we’ve often gotten it very, very wrong.
Christians have hurt people. Individuals, communities, churches, organizations, and institutions have done horrible things in the name of Christ.
It’s OK to admit this. The fact that Christianity isn’t perfect doesn’t negate truth — it actually admits it, reveals it, and helps us accept reality.
And although there’s no perfect Christianity, and no perfect Christian, there is a perfect God. This is our passionate hope: Jesus is perfect! This is a wonderful truth Christians must wholly embrace. Christ wants our identity to rest solely in His perfection — not our religious or spiritual imperfection.
Spurgeon’s quote hit the nail on the head in today’s picture!Undoubtedly, we pray for things expecting God to move; when in reality, God is either waiting on us to walk through a door He has already opened or waiting us to stop trying to open a door He has closed.
Isaiah 30:18,21 says, “But the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. And you will hear a voice say, “This is the way; turn around and walk here.”
My brothers and sisters, if you are lacking something in your life, it’s time to evaluate your heart. You may think you are waiting for God to give you good things, but in reality He is waiting for you to seek Him and give yourself to Him with a whole heart. God is eager and willing to give His children every good thing, but it is up to you to qualify for the promise. You have to position yourself to receive it.
Psalm 31:19 NKJV declares, “How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.” The good things of God remain stored up until you put yourself in a position to receive them. And the only way to get into that position is by seeking God and His will for your life.
It’s not luck or coincidence, when you seek God, He will speak the words you need to hear. He will tell you how to change the way you think about certain matters. He will show how to walk in greater wisdom and success. As you trust in His goodness and walk in obedience, you will move into position to receive the good things that are stored up for you.
So in light of what I just read, don’t forget what C.H. Spurgeon said, “We shall not grow weary in waiting on God if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us!”
The statement in today’s picture speaks volumes on so many levels! Too often, people (including myself) mistakenly and erroneously believe that humility implies to think less of themselves. When in reality, the correct layman’s definition of humility means to think of yourself less.
Knowing your self-worth is not a call to become conceited, prideful, or arrogant. Rather, it should harmoniously impact every area of your life – your spiritual life, your fears and insecurities, how you relate with others, how you do business, your romantic relationships, how you spend your time, the people you hang out with, your priorities, your finances, your self esteem and level of confidence, your self control, what you allow others to pour into your lives, what you pour into the lives of others, how others will treat you and talk to you, how you react to what others say to you or say about you, your attitudes towards others, life, and God; and so much more.
Additionally, knowing your self-worth will even affect seemingly non spiritual matters such as how much you charge for goods and services you offer, how you conduct yourself in the business place, your self respect, and in turn – how people respect and value you.
I Peter 2:9 humbly and yet powerfully reminds us that, “We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
True humility is not self-deprecation, it’s self-appreciation! So why would anyone discount what God considers invaluable?
I know that by God’s grace, He will minister His truth to everyone reading this message today. May God help us all to be confident in who we are in Christ Jesus, and know the power and gift available to us in Christ. May we always be aware of our self-worth and value, and act accordingly – to the glory and honor of Jesus Christ our Lord.
There’s something each of us does at least once per week that can feel like an annoying obligation, but we know we have to do it, so we do. Can you think what it is?
No! It’s not going to church!
It’s taking out the garbage.
Think about it for a second; if no one took out the trash, what would happen in our homes outside of the smell? They’d get flooded with trash. No one wakes up in the morning and says, I’d like to make ten gallons of trash today. But we just do. Trash happens and this also applies to spiritual trash like envy, bitterness, hate, worry, fear, etc.
There’s an old adage or saying: ‘garbage in, garbage out’. The Bible puts it this way, in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” In other words, where your mind goes, your feet follows.
To combat this debilitating mindset, Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8-9, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. 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. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
My beloved brothers and sisters, the best way to keep garbage out is to let God’s word consume your thoughts (2 Cor 10:5). This isn’t just about the power of positive thinking. This is about making room for the things of God in our minds and giving God ample space to communicate to us.
Undoubtedly, when we dispose of the garbage that contaminates and jeopardizes our peace and sanity, we literally make room for joy, light and love in our lives. With that being said, what trash do you need to throw out today?
In Galatians 6:3-5, Paul encouraged the church to take careful stock of the work they do in the Spirit without comparing themselves to each other. He instructed them to be honest with themselves and take full responsibility for their spiritual calling.
Paul knew the ‘comparison game’ wasn’t a good thing. He recognized that it was another trap the enemy used to breed complacency, destroy contentment, create contempt, and kill confidence not only in ministry, but in a person’s everyday life.
The Bible is full of people who fell into this destructive trap! Do you remember the story of Jacob and Esau found in Genesis 25:29-34? The Bible says Esau “despised” his birthright. He hated what was his because he wanted something else. Both wanted something the other had and it created enmity between the twin brothers.
In Genesis 4 we learn of the story Cain and Abel. Cain killed his brother out of a jealousy that came from comparison. He didn’t look at what God wanted from him. He only looked at the fact that his brother’s offering was acceptable and his was not.
I can keep on going (Rachel and Leah/Jacob and His brothers), but I’ll let you do some digging for yourself. However, the reason this topic is so prevalent today is because of social media and other platforms alike.
The first thing most people do when they roll out of bed is pick up their devices, open up their favorite social media app and once logged on they’re immediately inundated with perfectly filtered pictures and highlights that drags them straight into the comparison trap. They begin to feel as though their life just doesn’t measure up.
Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, our 26th president of the United States, said it best about comparison when he exuberantly stated: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
I hope you find solace and joy in remembering that you were not chosen for someone else’s journey! You were chosen for yours! Your life is not a carbon copy of someone else’s life. Falling into the comparison trap will only leave you feeling less than enough! So don’t compare yourself to others!! Your marriage, your children, family, your vocation, and ministry have been uniquely designed and scripted by God (Psalm 139:16).
Hey Family, as we step into day 3 in 2021, I just wanted to remind you that prayer is one of the most important activities in our lives because we’re actually talking to the sovereign God of the universe. He understands how we feel, knows what we think, and has the power to intervene in every area of life. Our quiet time with God empowers us to face the challenges of each day even before our day begins. When we make prayer a priority, we reap a whole host of benefits like comfort, guidance, strength, wisdom, and confidence.
Let’s me set the record straight; prayer is not and was never an optional request, it’s a command! In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we are commanded to “pray without ceasing.” God expects us to be people of prayer. Our lives are to be saturated with prayer, identified by prayer. The very words “without ceasing” imply the idea of never ending. That means we ought to be praying all the time and about everything.
Case and point, in order for us to experience true and long lasting success, we need to pray. In fact, prayer ought to be our first response in every circumstance in this life. Our lives are not of quiet desperation, but of divine inspiration. God has placed each one of us in this world and commanded us to pray in order that we might bring his presence and blessing into our present reality.
In closing, don’t forget that prayer is one of the main attributes mentioned in the Bible about the church; Jesus dubbed it a house of prayer. We might even say that if the old adage is true, “Brick and mortar don’t make a church — people do,” then every Christian ought to be a “house of prayer.”
When Adam and Eve chose to follow their own will in the Garden of Eden (Terrestrial Paradise) they introduced the need for the cross, but when Jesus chose to follow the will of God, He conquered the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane. Two different gardens yielded two different outcomes.
Finding and following God’s will for our lives often feels like a game of chance. But if we know God’s methods of revealing His will, we will see it—even when life feels full of chaos, ambiguity, and confusion!
God often directs His will for our lives through circumstances timed perfectly. These “coincidences” work in concert with the Scriptures and prayerful surrender to affirm we should follow God’s will.
The book of Proverbs offers practical wisdom in discovering God’s will as a primary application for us. Why? The wisdom of God existed even before “the first dust of the world” He created (Prov. 8:26). Because God created every speck of our universe (known/unknown) in His wisdom, we created beings require that wisdom in order to live in the world He architected and built!
So, if you are making BHAGs for 2021 please read Proverbs 19:21! I love the New Living Translation and it says, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”
God’s purposes will always win. They will always stand the test of time, even when our plans crumble. This should not anger or discourage us, but rather give us great hope. God always wins! He always gets what He wants in the end and this alone is an amazing hope, joy, and peace inducing truth.
4GIVEN 