Oceans

I’m not sure about y’all but sometimes as a Christian I feel like Jesus has just dumped me into an ocean. This earth that he placed me on is like an ocean constantly drowning me. The waves of sin, the people pulling me deeper and deeper into this secular world. However with enough faith, Jesus gives us the opportunity to walk upon the water... to allow him to lead us endlessly wherever he desires. When the waves get higher, as long as I keep my eyes above them, looking towards Him, then I will not and can not drown. 

If you listen to K-Love at all, you definitely have heard the song, Oceans. Hillsong United is one of my favorite bands and K-Love has been almost (over)playing this song quite a lot recently. The lyrics are great and it really is encouraging what faith can do when you find yourself drowning in this world. 

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep

My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand

Will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours and You are mine

Hebrews 12:2 says, “..fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

You can allow the ocean you’re living in to keep pulling you under or you can rise up above the waves--keeping your eyes solely on Jesus.

Scar Tissue

Scar tissue forms whenever our body’s tissue is damaged. 
When something hurts us we want immediate newness and fixing. But healing doesn’t happen over night. Some wounds heal but scar tissue remains. We want God to fix us and heal us quickly without pain but that is not reality. Sometimes what is stopping us from healing is the fact that we haven’t dealt with and accepted our wounds. 

Scar tissue is something my family has dealt with firsthand over these past few months. Stewart’s accident has caused a great deal of thick scar tissue on a large portion of her leg. 
What we’ve realized is Stewart needed to work through the emotional scar tissue just as much as she did the physical scar tissue. She had to fully accept the accident and everything that came with it, in order to move on. 
God is to be trusted because He IS the Great Physician. 

To overcome scar tissue we must trust in God instead of ourselves. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” At all times we should trust in Him and follow His lead. 
Secondly, we must stay in the present moment and think on the future. Instead of focusing on the past, we need to focus solely on what God is doing in our lives at that current time. We need to let go of the past and accept that it is over. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  
And lastly, we must believe our wounds can make us stronger. 2 Corinthians 12:10 says, “For the sake of Christ then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 

Your past hurt and pain can give someone else a future. God does not want us to be damaged or paralyzed by the past. However, He doesn’t waste one experience in our lives--everything is used to help someone else. In the Bible over and over again He picks the imperfect people, those who have been physically and emotionally wounded. He prepares them to serve and sends them out, with their weakness still showing, so that His strength can be made perfect in that weakness. God works in us so that He can work through us. 

2 Corinthians 1:4 "..who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

I challenge you to face the fears that come with overcoming your own scar tissue and set out to find the people who God has planned for your past to influence--show them how their scar tissue can make them stronger in their walk with Christ.

Crucified

As Christians we tend to only read about and study the death and resurrection of Christ on the week leading up to Easter. However, it’s so important that we remember and continually think about the sacrifice that was made for us and what we need to do to fulfill God’s command. I love the following verse that the Apostle Paul wrote to us in Galatians 2:20, 

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

What did Paul mean when he said we had been crucified and resurrected with Christ?

1. “I have been crucified with Christ.”

- Christ was crucified "for" us and we are crucified "with" Him. 

• Christ was crucified “for” us. We know for a fact that 2000 years ago a man named Jesus was crucified. (1 Corinthians 15:3 "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.") There's concrete evidence that Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and was nailed to that cross for each of our transgressions.

• We are crucified “with” Him. We understand that Jesus died for our sins, but sometimes we fail to realize that we died with him. When Paul says "I am crucified with Christ.." we know he wasn’t physically crucified that same day as him because he lived 30-40 years after the death of Jesus. He is saying that the life you see is not of my own, it is Christ living in me. We must die to ourselves daily and pick up the cross that Jesus left us. (Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”)

2. “Nevertheless I live!”

- Basically Paul is saying--we died with Christ; we were buried with Christ; we were raised from the dead with Christ. 

• Dying with Christ: Baptism is the most important form of this. We know that only thing that can wash away our sins is the blood of Christ but baptism is such an important and sacred symbol of that. The purpose of baptism is taking on the identity of that into which it is baptized. 
• Buried with Christ: You bury a body because it is dead. Jesus’ burial meant that one: he was dead and two: his work in his body is done. But we are buried in Christ because we are dead to sin. Our old ways are done away with. 
• Raised with Christ: We die with Christ and are buried with Christ so that we might be raised with Him to walk in the newness of life. 

3. “Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”

- That does not mean we will no longer sin. There will always be sin. But as long as Christ lives within us, we can do our best to resist that sin. It is so important we try our best to be dead unto sin and alive unto God. Because until you do that, you will continue to serve sin. All it takes is confessing your sin, asking Christ for forgiveness, and turning to Him for guidance.

Starting right now, die to yourself and pick up that cross…follow Jesus and watch Him work in major ways in your life.

Easter

I know most people will be spending time with their families tomorrow so I decided to post something a little early about Easter!

When I think of Easter the first things that come to mind are pastel colors, a new dress to wear to church, hunting and dying eggs, and finally being able to wear white jeans. And all of those things seem to rank importance in the secular world that we live in. Yes, it’s exciting to get a nice Easter Sunday dress and finally pull out those white jeans you’ve been staring at for weeks, but when you think about the real reason for this holiday, all of the other stuff becomes so minimal. 

Jesus Christ was tortured, beaten, and brutally killed on that cross. But three days later HE ROSE! The tomb was empty.  There are so many encouraging truths that we learn from the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

First, we can be free and forgiven by Jesus’ death. 

Romans 4:25 says, “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” 

Second, Jesus defeated death so we don’t have to fear it. 

Acts 1:3 says, “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

Third, God loves us unconditionally. (I mean he sent his ONE and ONLY Son to die for each one of our sins. If that isn’t love then I don’t know what is!)

John 13:34-35 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Fourth, God has a greater purpose for our lives.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

And lastly, we can be certain of a future in Heaven.

Romans 10:9 says, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

When you find yourself wrapped up in the worldly things of this weekend, take a second to remind yourself that Jesus’ burial and resurrection is the true reason to celebrate. 

Good Friday

Good Friday, the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, is the day that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. His death was a sacrifice so that we could receive the gift of eternal life in Heaven. You can read all about the crucifixion in the Gospels, more specifically, Matthew 27 or John 19. 

After being beaten and tortured, Jesus cried out saying, “It is finished.” And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. At that time people didn’t think too deeply into the phrase “It is finished.” 

I did some research and the Greek word meaning “it is finished” is tetelestai. After a servant would complete a difficult task he would say to his master, tetelestai. Basically meaning, I have done everything I can do, to the best of my abilities, and it is finished. When a merchant made a sale and the money was handed over at the market he would say tetelestai--the deal is finished, completed. The price has been paid in full.

When a sculptor had finished a piece of work, he would stand back looking at it, and say tetelestai-- there is nothing else to be done. It is finished.

When Jesus spoke those final words, he wasn’t just saying “this is the end of me” as if there was nothing else to do but give in to the enemy. Those words do not tell us that Jesus was dead now and that’s all there is to it. He is finished and so is everything that he put up with during his earthly life. 

Reconciliation is finished. Reconciliation is defined as the act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement. A gap has come between God and all humanity caused by sin and evil. Our sins, our disobedience, the hurt we have caused God and others have destroyed our relationship with God. Think of a time when you have done something that has hurt a friend and because of that your friendship with that person has been damaged, a gap has come between you, and you felt awkward when you see them in person. All of that won’t change until you put aside your differences and your friendship is restored.

Sin has a devastating effect on our relationship with God. Sin separates us from Him and if we want to have any hope of going to heaven, then someone had to deal with our sin. So God sent his Son into the world for that very purpose. Jesus died on the cross to get rid of the power of sin to condemn us. The task for which God’s Son came to earth has been completed. He has won forgiveness for all people. It is finished. 

Because of love, people do extraordinary things for others. They give us a small look at the kind of love that God has for us. God the Father sent his dearly loved Son into a dangerous world. He allowed his Son to be treated cruelly. He stood by and watched his innocent Son be nailed to a cross and to hang there in agony. He could have rescued him and cursed those who were treating him so wrongly. But instead He allowed his Son to carry the sin of all humanity. 

1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

Today, think of ways you can love others-- just as Christ loves us-- and thank God for sending his perfect Son to die for our transgressions. 

Our Calling

Isaiah 49 “The Lord has called me from the womb...”

We were chosen by God the Father long before we were ever born. God has perfectly crafted a special and specific plan for each of our lives. Everyone was born on this earth in different circumstances, but we all have the chance to be born again in Christ, a second birth, in order to join with our everlasting purpose. We were designed to do the good works in Christ. 

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”

God made each one of us. We are His masterpiece. God chooses each one of us. He selected us individually. He is always with us. He will never leave nor forsake us. He names us. He knew each one of us by name before conception. He calls us. We were made specifically for a certain purpose. He saves us. He created a way for everyone to be born again. He is our Father. We can call him Abba Father. (Galatians 4:6)

If we are to live undaunted, we have to trust that His plan is greater and higher than our own. He is unlimited, and we are limited. He is infinite, and we are finite. He paid the price for every person to be forgiven and arranged in relationship with Him.

God doesn’t just choose us for himself--but he chooses us to go out with a purpose on this earth. When we allow people to tell us we are not qualified to do something, we are limiting what God’s plan is for us. What is impossible with people is possible with God. Since the beginning we’ve seen God chose the unlikely to do the unthinkable. For example our good friend, Moses. (Exodus 3-4) God called Moses, who was nearly 80 years old, to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. But Moses insisted that he did not have the words to say and that no one would listen. When Moses finally listened and did as God asked, God paved a way for him. Through the Red Sea and the desert, providing for him for 40 years--all the way to the promised land. 

This is how God works. From the very beginning of creation God calls us “good.” (Genesis 1:26-28). He chooses each of us to do something for Him, despite our limitations and failures. We all have flaws, just like:

• Abraham was old. (Genesis 17:1)
• Sarah was impatient.(Genesis 16)
• Martha was a worrier. (Luke 10:40-41)
• Thomas doubted. (John 20:24-26)
• Zacchaeus was short. (Luke 19:3)

There are many people that He called in the Bible... just as He is calling us--to go and do in His name. We would have no idea who Moses was today if he hadn’t stopped making excuses and accepted God’s assignment. 

  Starting today, accept the calling He has made for your life and trust that He will provide you with everything you need to go out and live an undaunted life.

Disappointed

Disappointment. We’ve all faced it at some point in our lives. A parent loses a job, someone you love is injured/sick, or your boyfriend deceives you. Most of the time when you are disappointed and heartbroken you want to blame someone for your discomfort. And most of the time that person is God. 

“Is God unfair? Is He unjust, silent, or hidden?” The answer is NO! He may not talk directly to us and give us explantations for why things are happening, but all of the answers we need are in His Word. All we have to do is go look for them. He is there waiting for us to come, find Him, and love Him.

Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” 

In Luke 24:13-35 two of the disciples are leaving the burial of Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Their dreams of Jesus being the one sent to redeem Israel seemed to be beaten and dead, just as He was on the cross. They were brokenhearted, depressed, and extremely disappointed. On their journey they ran into a man but were too disheartened to look up at his face. The man was explaining to them how Israel was going to be redeemed and in the future there would be a new kingdom. The disciples listened to him speak and before they knew it they were at Emmaus. When they got there, the man “took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them.” That’s when the disciples looked up and realized it was Jesus! Jesus was with them the entire time, walking with them through every step of their disappointment. 

It has taken me months to realize my sister’s accident left me mad at God. My heart was aching and longing to understand why it happened to her. Even though I was grateful He saved her life, I was still bitter towards Him. Angry. Disappointed. I felt like God spared her life but then left us all alone to deal with the aftermath. How stupid and ignorant of me! Just like the disciples, I was too dumb to look up and realize that Jesus was right there the ENTIRE time! He was walking with me every step of the way through my heartache. 

Caine puts it in perfect words. “How blinded we become by disappointment! Sometimes, like the disciples, we’re so blinded that we can’t see Jesus walking with us through our heartache, leading us to something better ahead. He wants to show us that God has made a way for us that leads far beyond our disappointment. God has big plans for us--things to do, people to see, places to go. Christ promises us that beyond disappointment, something better awaits us. Some mission God designed for us, custom tailored--something that takes us not on a road to nowhere but to a place where we can feed others just as He has fed us.” 

I've learned there are five steps to overcoming disappointment:

1. The Comfort in the Church: The church is a believer's spiritual home. When your heart is aching, having fellow believers lay a hand on you in prayer is one of the most powerful feelings of a community. The Sunday after my sister’s accident I went to kneel at the altar and was quickly surrounded by my brothers and sisters in Christ giving me unconditional love and prayer.

2. The Power in Worship and Praise: There are two songs that definitely meant something to me during the weeks after Stew’s accident. Without fail I cried (happy tears) when I listened to "Before the Morning" by Josh Wilson. It was such a reminder of the hope and joy we should have in knowing we get to spend eternity in Heaven. 

“Maybe, there are things you can't see / And all those things are happening / To bring a better ending / Some day, some how, you'll see, you'll see / Would dare you, would you dare, to believe, / That you still have a reason to sing, 'cause the pain you've been feeling, / Can't compare to the joy that's coming

Whenever my sister would go to the Med for her dressing changes, the song "Overcomer" by Mandisa, would come on K-Love. It was this song that gave her a boost of encouragement before seeing her doctors.

“You're an overcomer / Stay in the fight ‘til the final round / You're not going under / ‘Cause God is holding you right now / You might be down for a moment / Feeling like it's hopeless / That's when He reminds You / That you're an overcomer” 

3. The Strength in Choosing the Joy of the Lord: Caine says, “He meets at the sad circumstances and walks with us...” That is because He knows that something good lies ahead! Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

4. The Wisdom of His Word: Everything that God promises’ is in the Word. Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5. The Love of Family and Friends: Though the accident affected my entire family, my mom’s willingness to stay strong a majority of the time is so relevant to this final point. She put aside her emotions to keep my anxious thoughts under control. She would let me cry to her and vent to her; but at the end of the day, she would always remind me to rejoice and give God all glory and honor and praise, despite our circumstances. Find those people in your life who will let you cry to them but then right after, pick you up and encourage you in your walk with the Lord.

So whatever in your life is disappointing you, don’t be a fool like I was. LOOK UP! Jesus is right there, walking with you, and leading you to the good that lies ahead. 

Awakened

These last few weeks I’ve really felt God laying on my heart to start a blog; and I have no idea why. I’m not the best writer in the world, my grammar is terrrrible, and I definitely do not always have the right words to say. But today as I sat here doing my quiet time, the Lord just told me to open my laptop and begin to write out what I was thinking.

For the past four months I have been reading over and over again Christine Caine’s book, Undaunted. It has motivated me in my spiritual life drastically. 

First, start by reading this verse to yourself, focusing on the word "me."

Luke 4:18  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”  

People just like us, made in God’s image, are suffering all over the world right this minute. So many people on this earth spend their days simply trying to stay alive, facing various forms of oppression. Our disconnection with those people does not make the abuses in this world, those injustices, any less. God wants us to be awakened, so we can rise ready, and do what we are called to do.

Ephesians 5:14-16 “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” 

When our eyes are closed, injustice and pain can take over the earth. Once we’ve been awakened, we can see the evil and respond to it. This means seeing the world more with God’s eyes and being Jesus’ hands and feet. It means actively looking for ways to help people daily. 

So, rise ready once you have become awakened. This means seeing others needs and reaching out to meet those needs. Whether that means listening to a friend who is going through a hard time or giving up a few coffees a month to sponsor a child in another country. When you’re fully awakened, when you’re rising ready, you will find that you’ve been missing out on some great wonders. 

We live in a world full of darkness. But we are the LIGHT.  

Matthew 5:14-16 “A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Light is what eliminates darkness. As His hands and feet, we are the force that takes on darkness. Jesus tells us to keep our eyes on Him. Once fear no longer controls you and Christ is walking by your side, you are undaunted-- and eager to find some darkness.

Isaiah 60: 1-2 “ Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you. And His glory will be seen upon you.”

Jesus wants us to bring light into dark places--that is why he gives us a new morning everyday. And at the same time he gives us night. A time to rest and restore ourselves because it isn’t the work we do that sets us free. He does NOT want us to be held captive by the idea that work sets us free. Because we are not being held captive…we are not slaves... we have already been set FREE! Jesus went on my behalf, out of love, walking wide awake through this world, freeing prisoners. We were freed in order to share what we’ve been given. 

It is time to be encouraged and go out--undaunted.