Light at the End of the Tunnel by Kisha Marie

 

Many people I encounter every day whether in person or on social media share the same questions and concerns about God’s love for them. The most common question I am asked is, “How could God possibly love me with all my faults and sin in my life?” The answer is simple, not one of us is blameless and we are all guilty of sin. We were all born into a sinful world and as such are physically separated from God. There however is good news and hope to be found! A bridge has been built and a path has been set. There is light at the end of the tunnel because God doesn’t measure love His love for us based upon our sin or good deeds, He simply loves the sinner without bounds, conditions, or requirements!

Throughout scripture we can see multiple references to God knowing people before and after the time we are formed in our mother’s womb. Psalms 139 :16 “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” There is nothing that we do in our lives that is a surprise to God. Our value to God does not change based on our actions. He does not reward us based on our deeds. Further still in the book of Matthew 10 it talks about how God provides and watches over even the birds in the sky. 29"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31"So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Do we not have dominion over the fowl of the sky?

He desires that we may live a life removed from the void of an empty heart but instead full of love, joy, and peace. There is no need to live in fear of damnation when you embrace God’s purpose and vision for your life.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and love, and of a sound mind

It is God’s desire that we draw nearer to Him with every passing day. Through His Word He continually seeks to form a meaningful relationship with each and every one of us. as we see in the 29th book of Jeremiah “29 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Please do not be disillusioned, everything in life is not going to be sunshine and roses simply because we have decided to follow the example of Christ and give our hearts to God. We will be persecuted for our beliefs and mocked by those who do not understand the truth of who God is. But be encouraged. We live and know the fulfillment, love, joy, and peace of walking with and learning from a savior that loves unconditionally; Who will never forsake or leave us. Scriptures are the living word that offer, encouragement, guidance, and a way for us to know God's nature which help to guide us along the way. God will always help us to stay focused on Him and to complete the tasks He has set before us. We learn in Isaiah 40:28-31 that in Him we will run and not grow weary and that He is the one who will renew our strength. The text reads.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard: The Lord is the everlasting God, that Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the po9wer of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”

We as believers are not alone in our journey through life! Jesus Christ, the one who has fulfilled the prophesies of the scriptures (2 Timothy 2:8), was crucified and rose from the dead to walk among the living (Acts 1:2-3) and is now seated at the right hand of God making intercession for those who embrace and believe in Him (Romans 8:34).

Thankfully God loves us not because of who we are, what we have done with our lives thus far. He loves us because He made us. We were wanted. He created us to be a reflection of Himself. Like any parent who loves their child God loves each and every one of us individually and completely. There is nothing we have done that can separate us from the love of our Father in heaven. It is our choice that He gives us freely to embrace the love He offers. It is God’s desire that none of us be separate from Him. It is because of His love for us that He offered a way for us, His children, to be welcomed into His eternal kingdom. That way is through Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. (Matthew 10:9-10). There truly is light at the end of the tunnel.

I WON'T COMPLAIN by Kisha Marie

I WON'T COMPLAIN

Today began like any other day. I showered, dressed, had meal and began to mentally review the tasks I had planned for the day. Then it hit me… What if I had not awakened today? I found myself thinking about funerals, specifically my own. Who would be in attendance? Would I be missed? What would be my legacy? Would those I love be at peace with knowing I had lived a full life in accordance with God’s decrees? If someone were to recap the significant moments in my life, how would they speak of me, my countenance, my actions or my faith?

“I Won’t Complain” is a song that I commonly hear sung at funerals of loved ones who endured challenging circumstances during the last season of their life and chose to focus on the . Having been in the lives of those for whom the song was sung, I often had to agree that the person indeed did not complain. Take a look at the lyrics below and ask yourself this question… “Would someone sing this song for me at my funeral?”

I WON’T COMPLAIN by Marvin Winans I won't complain I've had some good days I've had some hills to climb I've had some weary days I've had some sleepless nights But when I look around And I think things over All of my good days Outweigh my bad days So I won't complain Sometimes the clouds hang low I can hardly see the road And then I ask the question Lord why so much pain But He knows what's best for me Although my weary eyes can't see So I'll just say thank you Lord I won't complain God's been so good to me The Lord has been so good to me More than this old world Or you could ever be The Lord has been so good to me And He dried my tears away And He turned all my midnights into days So I'll say thank you Lord I just say thank you Lord I'll just say thank you Lord I won't complain

By reading the lyrics we can see that the author has not had an easy life. Clearly there have been times of sorrow and times of trial. However, throughout the journey, he maintains an attitude of gratitude. He credits the Lord with being good to him regardless of condition in which he found himself.

It is so tempting to complain when something goes wrong and life doesn’t seem fair. As believers we should ask ourselves, “Is it enough to simply not complain in life or are we called to go a step further?” I believe we have been set apart to experience life in a different way than the rest of the world, operating from a God focused perspective.

We are cautioned in the Word to “29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” – Ephesians 4:29. When we complain we take the focus off of the one who has promised to comfort and deliver us and shifts it to the problem at hand. This is dangerous because we are missing an opportunity to show the power of God in all circumstances.  Life is not always going to be sunshine and roses. We are to acknowledge God in all of our ways (Proverbs 3:6).

There is nothing that can be accomplished by giving our attention to that which does not serve to enhance our faith in God. James 1:12 states that “blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive the [the victor’s] crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” Let us stay focused on the promises of God and not the challenges we face on a daily basis.

I always like to say, “If nothing ever happened, life would not be interesting”. In truth, everyone has bad days. It is what you do in the midst of your bad days that builds character and the kingdom of God. Prayerfully your good days will outnumber your bad days and you will focus on the blessings and provision of the One who has made you and called you His own. God is unchanging and His love for you is never ending. He wants our words to be a blessing to others and not that of offense. I encourage you to ask God to remove anything in you that is not of Him. Let the words you speak and the life you live be a testament to God and an encouragement to others.

Nice Concept or Sustaining Belief?

In this month's blog I wanted to use some Never Forsaken lyrics as my springboard. This phrase is found in the song In Your Arms: "You're holding me in Your arms. I'm safe and sound cause You're holding me...I'm never forsaken." 

It's a comforting concept, that idea of being held by God and never being forsaken. But is it just a concept in our mind or something that actually sustains us? When life seems hard and confusing do our lives convey that we really believe in a God who cares for His children, who holds us in His arms, who keeps us safe and who never leaves us? No matter what life looks like to us, we can rest assured that this is in fact true of our God! 

In Isaiah 40:11 we read, "He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart. Psalm 68:19 reiterates this idea of being held and carried: "Praise the Lord; praise God our Savior. For each day He carries us in His arms." When you really stop and think about it it's pretty amazing! The God of the universe, the Creator of all things, the Savior of our souls, is also our Shepherd and Father. In the same way that a good shepherd cares for and carries His sheep, God carries us. And in the same way that a loving father holds and cares for his children, God holds us. He is the One we can always run to and always lean on. 

When we really believe this, we know we are safe. Jesus Himself said in John 10:29,  "My Father, who has given them all to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of the Father's hand. That means that nothing and no one can change our relationship with God. Circumstances may sometimes make it difficult to remember that God is holding us but whether we feel like we are being held or not, absolutely nothing can take us out of His hands! At other times, the enemy may try to convince us that we are not really His or that God does not really care at all, but in those moments we must remember that Satan is the father of lies. God however, cannot lie and so we can say with the psalmist: "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, will keep me safe" (Psalm 4:8) 

In addition, when we believe that God will never leave us, it gives us strength far beyond our own. In Deuteronomy 31:6;8 it says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear...for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." These words were spoken to Joshua in preparation for entering the promised land but they are just as true for us today! Heaven is our promised land and as we journey through our time here on earth, it is God who goes before us and gives us strength to build His Kingdom here! 

So the next time you hear the song In Your Arms, let it be an anthem of a sustaining belief and not simply a nice concept! And if you've never heard it, check it out...it's one of my favorites!! 

New Year's Resolutions or New Year's Realizations?

New Year's Day always seem to launch people into a desire for change! We come up with our list of things we think we need to stop doing, start doing or change how we are doing. We call that list our New Year's resolutions. How long does that list usually last? A week, a month; maybe a few months if we're lucky. Why? Because being "successful" in our resolutions is based entirely on our ability and our performance.

As 2015 begins, I'd like to suggest a different perspective. Instead of focusing on what YOU should DO this year, focus on what GOD has DONE, what HE is DOING and WHO you ARE in Him! For the child of God, realization of reality is much more effective in producing real change than our attempts at performing differently in order to change. God is really not waiting for us to start acting differently; He is waiting for us to realize who we are and Whose we are! 

He is waiting for us to live out who we really are instead of staying stuck in who we think we are. We are children of the King, co-heirs with Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are destined for greatness...a greatness that reflects the Great One and His Kingdom! When we really believe that, change becomes a natural result! When what we do becomes about the Kingdom of God, when our obedience flows from a heart of love for Him & others and when the thoughts allowed to take up residence in our mind agree with what God declares...then our lives will actually look like the person God has created us to be!! 

So in 2015...be who you really are in Him, walk out love-based obedience and watch God work! 

Grace for the moment

     I recently took a Facebook quiz entitled "What Should Be the Title of Your Autobiography?" While I realize that those quizzes are extremely corny and have no real link to reality, I found this particular result ironic. According to the quiz my autobiography should be called "How I Learned to Dance in the Rain". That is very fitting to what I'll be writing about in this post!

    Have you ever watched a brother or sister in Christ go through something in their life and thought "I don't know how they are doing it, I couldn't handle that!"? Or, have you ever thought about how you would handle dealing with one of your biggest fears coming to fruition and thought it would destroy you? Looking in from the outside or looking forward into the future, there are things that just seem completely unbearable. 

    This past month, one of those "unbearable things" presented itself in my life. But it has turned out far differently than I expected! One of the things that I would have said had the potential to destroy my faith the most has actually done the opposite! I've learned the reality of the phrase "grace for the moment" in a way I never have before. At the very moment when I thought "I don't know if I can do this", God's grace and peace washed over me and I literally felt like I was being carried. In Isaiah 26:3 it says "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" and again in Philippians 4:7 we are told that when we trust God "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I've known those verses all my life but struggled with them because keeping my mind focused on God and trusting Him have never been easy. But in those moments when my circumstances threatened to overwhelm me, the awareness of the presence of my loving God was somehow bigger than it all!

   I discovered that it is, in large part, my understanding of the character of God that draws to me to that place of trust. When I really believe that He is my all-loving, all-faithful Father, focusing on Him is really the only thing to do! It reminds me of when some of Jesus' followers decided it was too hard and walked away and Jesus asked the twelve disciples if they were going to leave too. Peter's response pretty much sums up what I'm learning during this season of my life: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69) 

   Don't get me wrong, it doesn't make everything easy. Emotions still run high at times and fear threatens to consume me sometimes but I just keep going back to the truth...God is who He says He is and nothing changes that. So no matter what may come I can dance in both the sunshine and the rain - "dancing with my Father God in fields of grace" (Big Daddy Weave) 

   So my encouragement to you is this: God gives grace, strength, peace and everything else you need for the moment you are in right now. Right now you don't have strength for tomorrow, but tomorrow you will. Right now you don't have the grace to handle whatever your "unbearable thing" is, but if it comes I can promise you that as a child of God you will have all the grace you need in that moment. 

   

Surrender

We should all have a daily exchange with God. We need to place our lives in God's hands and let Him fill us with faith. We need to let God totally envelop us in His grace. Sounds simple doesn't it? It is. But it is also a moment by moment choice. 

So how do we make that choice? The answer is in one word. That's right, just one word. One word that will set the entire tone of our lives. One word that has the potential to re-define who we are. It probably is not the word you are expecting.  It's a word that goes against the natural grain of our thinking, a word that at first glance does not seem to fit at all with the idea of being a victorious Christian. 

The word is surrender. Yes, surrender, as in relinquishing control and giving up. Sounds strangely like a word of defeat. After all, in a physical battle, surrendering is not seen as a good thing. It means the enemy has won. We see surrender as someone standing, arms up, admitting defeat and giving up the fight. So this must not be what I mean by surrender? Actually it is! The difference however lies in what, or more accurately who, we are choosing to surrender to. Do we surrender to the enemy and call it quits? No way! Never! Instead, we surrender to the God who can fight for us far better than we could ever fight for ourselves. We need to relinquish control, which really wasn't ours to begin with, and surrender to God's perfect control. We need to give up our way of doing things that lands us flat on our face time and time again. In the words of Paul - "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." (Galatians 2:20) Our lives should reflect the fact that the Spirit indwells us. 

What does it look like to live in full surrender?  To be honest, I'm still figuring that out! But I think it begins by loving God more than anything else, by recognizing what He did for us and by living out of that. When we truly love God, surrender becomes more and more natural in our lives. Our desire to please Him starts to supersede our desire to please ourselves. When we understand just what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we live in the truth that sin has been defeated. The obligation to surrender to sin no longer exists in our lives. Instead we have the power to live a life of obedience and freedom. 

Surrender in the life of a Christian is a beautiful thing. It shows off the power of Christ and brings the essence of His Kingdom to earth. While the world may view surrender as weakness, for the child of God surrender is power! So may we live in full surrender to the One who offers us an abundant life that we could never attain on our own! 

Who are you?

Who are you? Sounds like a simple question. You may answer with things like your name, who your family is, where you live, what your career is or what kind of personality you have. But dig deeper. Where do you really find your identity? There are many factors that can influence how we see ourselves, what we claim as our identity. Sadly, many of those factors lead us into a skewed perspective of identity. As a child of God, we have a very distinct identity and a proper understanding of who we are is vital to living the abundant life that God has designed us for.

One of the things that can lead to a skewed picture of who we are is what other people say about us. But the truth is that people's opinions of us are only as powerful as we allow them to be. When we are overly concerned about how people perceive us, we are actually allowing ourselves to be controlled by them. I recently heard a pastor friend of mine say that "insecurities are wrong securities exposed" (Pastor Jason Seaman). That concept, when fully understood, can really change how we live. True security has a singular source and that source is God Himself. God alone has the power to tell us who we really are and what we are worth. Take a moment and consider who God says we are in Him. "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10) God's masterpiece! God is our Creator; He is the master artist who wove us together before the foundation of the earth and gave us a purpose. Sounds pretty amazing to me! "See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1a) Not only are we created by God, but we are loved by Him! We are children of the perfect Father! God's love far exceeds any other love we have ever known. In fact, God even says that He delights in us! "He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." (Zephaniah 3:17b) That is who God says we are...His masterpiece, adopted and loved by Him and created for a special purpose! 

Another identity error is found in viewing ourselves through our past. Whether we focus on successes or failures, what we have done does not determine who we are. If we are counting our successes and leaning on that as our identity, then we have forgotten that our works apart from Christ are nothing. "For apart from Me you can do nothing" (John15:5b) More often than not though, we end up viewing ourselves through our failures. But the reality is, as children of God, God does not see us through the lens of our failures. We are completely forgiven. "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." (Psalm 103:12) But more than that, we have been given the righteousness of Christ. "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21) We may keep a record of our failures, but God does not and when we choose to wallow in our sins we are pretty much saying that what Jesus did on the cross for us is not sufficient. Focusing on our failures also holds us back from gaining the victory over sin that Jesus provided for us to walk in. God's grace and forgiveness is intended to give us freedom, not freedom to sin, but freedom to be who we are in Him. "He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of the Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding" (Ephesians 1:7-8) 

When we embrace our true identity in Christ, our lives will be characterized by real freedom, true joy and consistent victory! Freedom because we know who we were created to be, joy because we know Who we belong to and victory because we know where our power comes from! And that is the life God intended for us to live!