Be Still

"Be still, know that I am God." - Psalm 46:11

Although we somehow think life is supposed to be fair and easy, it's really not. Situations come into our lives that make us want to explode. Sometimes it's financial issues, sometimes it's drama with family and friends, or sometimes it's an illness that brings us down to rock bottom. How could we not scream out in despair and totally lose it when things seem to be getting worse? If you believe in God, He will give you the strength and the peace to endure.

I had the chance to put this into practice recently. I was so upset, but usually when I would cry, I told God it's in His hands and I felt fortified. You see, if you believe in God, then you know that He prepares you for whatever happens, no matter how difficult. You have to trust that, and when you trust that, you are confident in His promise. You can be still although things are crumbling around you… you can be still because He is God… and being God, He controls all for your benefit. If you show fear and anxiety, that means you don't trust God, you don't know Him… it means you have a bit more to walk until you allow yourself to surrender into His protection.

Today's Prayer:
My God, it's really hard for me to just let go and let You handle these things that are hurting and worrying me, but I want to surrender. Help me from this day forward to just be still and know that You are God, and You will show me the way. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Tests

"There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace. Gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears." - 1st Peter 2:6-7

I spent the day thinking to myself that it's so ironic that yesterday I wrote about having the attitude of a conqueror because God gives us strength, yet today, I had trouble keeping that mindset. I had a horrible day today. I can't really find a place to feel relaxed and at peace except here right now with God. I'm stressed at home and I'm stressed at work. In my mind, I feel attacked from all corners. I know that God will work it all out for me and everything will be ok, but I have no clue how things will get there. This is the struggle of faith; the testing of gold in the furnace. In instances like this, I am being tested. It's so easy for me to write these verses every night and not actually put these into practice, but I do and it's hard. Being on this path is long and arduous, but like Peter says, this faith, when finally carried through, will bring me glory and I want to please my Lord Jesus Christ.

So I sit here right now, trying to find peace and balance, not knowing why all this is happening, but knowing it will be ok…some day. And I'm not mad at God and I won't complain and say that He's abandoned me, because He hasn't. I'm not even going through 5% of what Peter, Paul, John, or Stephen went through, but at least I know that my faith has made it through this far and through His grace it will go further.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I don't know where my trials will lead and sometimes it's so hard to keep positive and hold on to Your teachings. Help me stay firm. Help me to always keep my reward before me. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Job's Faith

"His wife said to him, 'Do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God and die!' Job replied, 'You talk foolishly. If we receive good things from God, why can't we accept evil from him?' In spite of this calamity, Job did not utter a sinful word." - Job 2:9-10

In one day Job lost his servants, his livestock, his sons, his daughters and his health. He was a man so dedicated to God that his wife was repulsed by the fact that Job held on to his faith in God even when he was left with nothing. Does this mean God abandoned Job? No. The reasons God allows things are only know to Him, but no matter what we go through, there is always a good that comes out of it if we follow through on our faith. Many of us feel like Job at times - just when we think things can't get any worse, they do. We lose hope, we lose our joy. But as hard as it is, God gives us the strength to make it through one day at a time, building us up a little more each day. Ultimately, it is up to us if we choose to lose our hope and joy; God never took that away from us, it is always ours to keep. Negative things will happen to us, but do you choose to be like Job's wife, bitter and sinful? Or would you rather stand firm like Job? He didn't let his disasters take all of him because he knew his God knows what to give and what to take away. If you're going through a trial, remember this - it's up to you how you choose to carry through. You could allow yourself to be miserable, or you could live your faith in God who will take care of you!

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are with us through the good and the bad. You know our limits and when things feel like too much. Please give us strength to not only make it through, but keep the joy and faith alive in our hearts. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Through the Valley

"Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are beside me." - Psalm 23:4

The moment that something bad is happening to me, I start to beg God to get me out of it. Whether it's my job or being stuck in bad traffic, I ask God to bring me out of the situation without even considering sticking through for a bit longer. But if you think about it, most of the times in life, we end up sticking through all the bad stuff until things get better. This psalm teaches us that for some reason, God leads us through these bad periods in our lives, but along the way, He is with us. We all want better things - a great new job, to get married, a new house - but with all of these things come great responsibilities. These bad periods build us and make us stronger so that when we finally reach the next level, we're ready for it! Instead of telling God to relieve you of a situation, ask for strength and endurance to make it through and you'll see how He walks with you along the way, building you for better things.

Today's Prayer:
Dear God, open my eyes of faith and allow me to see the good that You do in my life, even in the things that I don't like. You know my faith can be weak at times, but show me the power of Your hand and walk me through until I'm grown. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Making It Through

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; neither will the flames consume you. For I am your savior, I, Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel. Since you are precious in my sight and important - for I have loved you, I give men in exchange for you and people in return for your life." - Isaiah 43:1-4

We hear the words "God loves you" or "Jesus loves you" so often we don't know what it really means. If our world shatters around us or we see and hear of so many injustices, reason tells us that God can't possible love us. But if you think about it, the only way for us to really know God in our lives is if we are able to make it through the trials and sorrows that hurt us and see that He was there all along. Loving someone does not mean preventing them from experiencing things, but instead to take their hand and walk them through to where they need to be. Learn to trust in God through the hardships that come to us - you have been redeemed by Him, you specifically He has called by name. Notice that the verse says that when you pass through water, when you pass through rivers, when you walk through fire - in life we WILL go through hardships but what makes it all worthwhile is that when we make it through to the other side, it is His embrace that will wait for us. These experiences we go through help us grow and be spiritually on the other side, where we need to be. And when He walks with us through these problems, we will see that we made it through without being hurt, the flames never consumed us because He promised His protection. We are precious in His sight, we are important and all things He allows so that eventually we get to know Him and see the wonders of His hand since otherwise, we might not have paid attention. The day will come when you will give thanks and glory to God because you'll see how you've made it through and how He protected you and let you know His Name.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, the waters do feel so high at times and the heat is so close to burning me, but I know You love me and have set me apart for You. Help me, my God, to fully trust You and get through to where You are. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

An Exercise of Your Faith - Jesus Walks On Water

"And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray." - Matthew 14:23

This message will be different than the rest and not intended to be read quickly, but to be read when you have time to think about it. We all want to be closer to God and have deeper faith and the only way to achieve this is through meditation. Meditation is not easy because our minds get noisy and it's easy to lose focus of what you're trying to reach. I picked a passage that will serve as a great backdrop for a meditation session. God gave us our imaginations and as we begin to create the following images in our minds, He will be there to guide us through and give us the blessings we need to see Him more clearly.

The passage I have chosen is of Jesus walking on water. He had been away at the mountain praying all night and then made His way over to the apostles who were on a boat. Just as Jesus was at the beginning of this passage, alone praying by Himself, so should you be when you do this exercise.

Matthew 14:23-31

"At nightfall, He was there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves for the wind was against it.

At daybreak, Jesus came to them walking on the lake. When they saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once Jesus said to them, 'Courage! Don't be afraid! It's me!' Peter answered, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking on the water.' Jesus said to him, 'Come.' And Peter got out of the boat, walking on the water to go to Jesus. But, in face of the strong wind, he was afraid and began to sink. So he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and took hold of him, saying 'Man of little faith, why did you doubt?'"


Now, instead of Peter, it is you sitting on a chilly night on a boat while you wait for Jesus to come to you. The winds have picked up and are pushing against you for what seems like hours, just like the trouble and sorrows in your life that seem endless. Finally, when you thought you couldn't hold on any longer, you see Jesus, radiant in white, coming to you, walking on the water but with His eyes fixed on going to help you in your time of need. Holding on to your faith, but yet still afraid, you call out to the Lord and ask Him to help you get to where He is, and instead of doubting, you want Him to fill you with strength and faith so that you too can walk with Him. Jesus smiles at you, motions with His hands and says, "come." But it's not easy, you try but your problems bring you down. You fall back into the same addictions. Your financial situation brings you down and you can't think about anything else but your own worries and your own fears…and then you take your eyes off of Jesus and start to sink. But when you realize you need His help and despite the storm, you cry out to the Lord to be saved. Lovingly, Jesus is right there to pull you up by your hands and save you. Now He's holding you in His arms and you feel His embrace, His love for you, His care, His mercy, and He looks at you in the eyes and asks you, "why did you doubt?"

You will have your own answer to give to Jesus at this point, but the idea is to close your eyes and envision this, envision Him saving you in this storm and continue the dialogue with Him.

Today's prayer is that you take 20 minutes to practice this exercise in meditation and meet with the Lord who is waiting to save you on the boat and carry you through the storm to where He is.

Mother Teresa's Perseverance of Faith

I was watching the Today Show yesterday and during a segment they introduced a new book entitled, "Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the 'Saint of Calcutta.'" This book publishes many letters she wrote during her lifetime to colleagues and friends and it seems that the overall theme of the letters was her struggle with her faith. In one letter, she actually writes, "What do I labour for? If there be no God, there can be no soul, if there is no Soul then Jesus You also are not true."

While part of me feels that this book is a good example for those that struggle through the dark night of the soul, I also feel that the media and those that take every opportunity they can find to knock down religion are going to use this as an excuse to say that even someone like Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to God, did not believe but spent her life pretending.

The truth is that we all struggle. When Paul wrote in Ephesians that our struggle is not against human forces, but the forces of evil, he was 100% right. While we're here on earth, we will go through things that will severly test our faith. The enemy is subtle and effective at making us believe that God has abandoned us and He is not faithful, but like all things that truly matter and are important, we need to continue the daily struggle with our faith.

The call to follow God is NOT something that comes easily. Day after day we need to renew our dedication and our belief that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life and by no other name shall we have eternal life. Some days we are on fire and we feel the Holy Spirit with us constantly, while other days we feel so alone and wonder why God has abandoned us. This is why Paul and the other writers of the New Testament constantly warned us about the importance of staying steadfast through these trials, because they happen to all of us. The 1st letter of Peter, chapter 2 says, "Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace, gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears." He even goes on to say, "you are reaching the goal of your faith: the salvation of your souls."

So when you struggle with your faith, do not think you are alone because even the most holy people that walked the earth like Mother Teresa had the same doubts. Although her written words expressed doubt, the works of her hands expressed the most amazing faith in God. Someone that does not believe in God would never live the life that she lived or give so much of herself to those that society chooses to turn a blind eye to. If she did not believe, she would have given up her work decades ago instead of picking up her cross each day. She chose to believe that the Lord Almighty is her God and that Jesus Christ is her savior and she perservered in the faith to the very end.

My prayer is that all those that hear about this book and her struggles choose to see her as an example of someone who said yes to God every day of their lives despite doubts and adversity, instead of using this champion of the faith as another excuse to say God does not exist.

Piped Tunes and Funeral Songs

"What comparison can I use for this people? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain: 'We piped you a tune and you wouldn't dance; we sang funeral songs and you wouldn't cry.'" - Luke 7: 31-32

God has created us as His children and it is His design for us to draw close to Him so that He can care for and nurture us. The problem is that in this world we get distracted by so many things and God slips further and further down our list of priorities; we forget about His promises and about His love. When we forget about Him, in His love and mercy, He allows for things to come into our lives to bring us back to Him.

When Jesus says "We piped you a tune and you wouldn't dance," He means that He's brought so many beautiful things into your life - your health, a steady job, people that love you - and you have been unappreciative of His favors, taking the good in your life for granted and not being faithful to God for having given these things to you out of His love and care. He has given you gifts to win your love and attention and you have refused His kindness. Likewise, when Jesus says, "We sang funeral songs and you wouldn't cry," that means that since you didn't respond to the blessings bestowed upon you, He allowed for trials to come to you so that through prayer and supplication, you might become friends with Him again. But some people don't even respond to this and completely brush off God's call.

Each day God works to make Himself known to us but people fail to pay attention. Don't be one of these people that wouldn't dance or cry for the Lord.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your care and the blessings You have given me. I pray that You will always remain number 1 in my heart, and if I ever let You down, please help me to respond when You pipe a tune or when You sing a funeral song for me. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Expect Trials and Tribulations

"Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded to sift you like grain, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have recovered you shall strengthen your brothers." - Luke 22: 31-32

I have told you before that the devil surrounds us like a hungry lion, attacking us for our downfall. Attacking us so that we lose the grace of God. Many people think that when they are good and follow God, the devil stays away and things are great for us. But by following God, Satan's anger is set on fire and that's when he will really starts to try to bring trouble to us in every area of our life possible. When you follow God, expect the devil to come and destory your hope. The good news is that even the devil respects the power of God because when the devil tries to hurt us, he asks God for permission first. This is seen in this passage when Jesus tells Peter (Simon) that the devil has demanded to tempt him strongly, same as when the devil asked God permission to bring trouble to Job. God allows these things so that we can become stronger. We do not grow when all things are good and we're happy but we grow when we endure pain and suffering and come out of it renewed in the Lord. Jesus tells Peter that He has prayed for him so that his faith will not fail and God always does the same for you and I. We live on this earth and we must go through trials and tribulations so that we may be strengthened and from that new strength we go out and help others who have yet to weather the storm caused by the enemy.

But nothing will come out of our temptations if we do not pray. If we become lazy and don't hold on to prayer, we let Satan convince us to not pray as much or even that God does not exist and doesn't listen to us. Even that prayer doesn't do anything. We must hold on to prayer through all things or we'll never see the blessings down the road.

Today's Prayer:
My God and Savior, please help me weather the storm and keep me safe from the traps of the devil. Help me to remain strong and be able to withstand all attacks with my eyes fixed on You. In Your Name we pray, Amen.