No Fear

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9

With everything going on in the world right now, fear likes to creep in. From terrorist attacks to the dwindling economy, things don't look very good. It's our human response to be scared and uncertain. Without the Lord, the times we live in ARE scary and uncertain.  But God says in Isaiah 41:10, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." He is serious when He says that He will keep you from all harm and watch over your life (Psalm 121:7).

Fear is crippling and it's binding. It keeps us stuck in our messes and won't allow us to walk in the plan and purpose God has for our lives.  It keeps us focused on our present circumstances instead of the amazing future God has for us (Jeremiah 29:11).  It has us more afraid of our enemies than in awe of our Deliverer. We talk more about what "they" can do to us than what Jesus can do for us.  We are letting our enemies win. The enemy wants us full of fear. He came to steal our peace (John 10:10).

We can stand knowing that we don't need to be afraid; God fights for us (Deuteronomy 3:22).  We can be certain that He does not give us this spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made in perfect love. 1 John 4:18

The next time I start to feel afraid, I'm going to look up at the One who takes hold of my right hand and tells me not to fear because He will help me (Isaiah 41:13-14) and I will realize that because of the LORD'S great love I am not consumed (Lamentations 3:22).

My Broken Vessel

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Our suffering is not in vain. Our pain has a purpose. We go through this life experiencing triumph and tragedy; good and evil.  We look at ourselves through our brokenness and insecurities.  We see all of our blemishes, while He sees purity.  God looks at us with pride and with purpose.

We are broken vessels with great power inside of us. We have the power to change the world.

Jesus isn't calling the perfect.  He is calling ordinary people just like us. It says in 1 Corinthians 1:27- 28 that God chose the foolish things in this world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things and the despised things.  He chose us.

We don't think we can do it, but Jesus says His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). It looks like the world is too far gone, but God says He will heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).  God is waiting for us to take that step. We are not in this alone. We don't have to be afraid or discouraged (Deuteronomy 31:6).

The time is now. The harvest is ripe (Luke 10:2)  We are here to change the world.

Be Jesus

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

"The least of these...."

We are so comfortable as Christians. We get dressed up, go to church, worship God a little bit, go out to lunch, then head home. I'm guilty of this a lot of the time. We maintain such a routine and we don't want anyone or anything to disrupt it.  We are so self-absorbed.

Jesus didn't call us to be comfortable. He called us to get dirty. He wants us in the middle of all the hurt and the pain in this world. He wants us to leave our routine and follow Him (Matthew 19:21).

It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to love the unlovable (Matthew 5:46) and to go out and make disciples (Matthew 28:19).  Jesus wants us to hang out with "sinners" just like He did (Matthew 9:11). After all, we were sinners (Romans 5:6) and He loved us anyway.

Sometimes being a Christian looks ugly. We have to reach down into the slimy pit and help pull people out. We have to sacrifice the things we want to give to people who need.  Love is sitting with a drug addict when they go through withdrawals or cleaning a widow's gutters. It's babysitting for a single mother while she looks for a job or  paying for a child to go to camp when they can't afford it.
Love is selfless and it's sacrificial.

Money doesn't matter.
Religion doesn't matter.
Social status doesn't matter.
Love matters.

We are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), let's start acting like it.

We Are Strong

I thought we would always have to live that way. I thought we couldn't escape. He made me believe I was worthless and stupid and nobody would ever want me. My self esteem was destroyed.

But I did escape. I was lifted out of the slimy pit and given a firm place to stand (Psalm 40:2).  God has put a new song in my heart (Psalm 40:3).

I didn't know how strong I actually was until I got away. I didn't see how much God had protected us. We would probably all be dead. But God....

He knew our story would change lives.

We have so much healing to go through. They have so many secrets to tell.  I don't understand why it all happened, but I do understand that this is not the end.  God will use this trauma and this abuse to tell a story that ends in victory (1 Corinthians 15:57).

My heart is broken and my spirit is crushed, but I know my Lord is close to me (Psalm 34:18) and He will heal my heart and bind my wounds (Psalm 147:3).

You are stronger than you think. 

My Provider

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through him who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13

I can definitely say I have been on both sides of this. I remember sitting on my couch in the dead of winter, snuggled up with my 3 girls, holding a flashlight because we had no heat and we had no electricity. I remember boiling water so my kids could take a bath. I remember having no water at all and sneaking to an empty house to use the hose to get water.  Those days were bad, but we survived. The Lord gave me the strength to be content while in need.

Now we are able to pay our bills, put gas in our vehicles, buy groceries and clothes for the girls. I have a husband who works hard to provide and loves my girls like they are his own. We even took our first big family vacation. We are content. Right now we have plenty.

I can honestly say that during both of these seasons in my life, the Lord was providing for my every need, even though it didn't look like what I thought it should look like. Things were rough, but I trusted Him and He came through.

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!  Luke 12:24

We have to trust the Lord to provide for us (Philippians 4:19). He will do what He says He will do (Numbers 23:19). We have to understand that material possessions are not the answer and live our lives free from the love of money and be content. The Lord says He will never leave us or forsake us and He means it (Hebrews 13:5). He never promised to meet our wants, so if our focus is more on what we have and what we can get, we will never be satisfied (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

So if you have a need, trust God. He will provide. It may not look like what we think it should look like, but God knows exactly what is best and will give accordingly (Romans 8:28).

I Am Who He Says I Am

For too long, I believed I was worthless.

For too long, I looked for love in all the wrong places.

For too long, I thought God didn't approve.

I had been beaten down with the words "worthless" and "stupid" and so many more for so long that I believed that I was those things.  I believed that I was so damaged and unlovable that I was useless in this world. I let my abuser's words fill my whole being. His words were the only ones I heard.

I was so wrong. 

I was so deceived.

Our worth never belongs in someone else's hands. It is never based on our actions and it is never earned (Ephesians 2:9). God loved us from the beginning and sent Jesus to die for us when we didn't deserve it (Romans 5:8). We were intricately woven in the depths of the earth (Psalm 139:13-16) and when God looks at us, He sees our beauty and He sees our worth. He created us with such a great purpose in mind (Jeremiah 29:11) because we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Before we were ever conceived, God loved us. 

Our enemies and abusers don't have the right to tell us who we are. The Lord is the author and finisher of my faith and I will throw off everything that hinders me (Hebrews 12:1-2) and that includes the words that have been spoken to me and about me. I can be confident because I know I am who God says I am. 

I am a child of God (John 1:12)

I am His friend (John 15:15)

I am redeemed and justified (Romans 3:24)

I am not condemned (Romans 8:1)

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I am no longer a slave, but an heir (Galatians 4:7)

I am free (Galatians 5:1)