Overcoming Anxiety

"So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." -Matthew 10:31

Can we change anything that happens to us in life if we have done all we know to do to be in right standing with God?  The ultimate answer is "no." Yes we can and should do all the right things, we can plan, and we can do the things it takes to be successful - but unfortunately, we do not have any control over any outcome.  When it comes down to it, in fact, we have no idea what will happen tomorrow!
 
"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14
 
My dad has said, "Projecting outcomes leads to depression." When we fail to see results we want, or we think about things that could happen, we inevitably set ourselves up for fear.  It's great to have goals, and it's definitely great to have dreams.  But instead of projecting into the future, we need to allow ourselves to TRUST God every step of the way - allowing Him to direct out paths.  (Proverbs 4:11)

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Philippians 4:5-7

Do you struggle with anxiety, or do you worry about the future?  Pray and ask God to take away those burdens, and trust Him day to day, that He will meet all of your needs "according to His riches in mercy."  (Phil 4:19)  He desires that you and I completely trust and have faith in Him. 

Striving vs. Thriving

"What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?" -Ecc 2:22

I remember being in grade school trying to beat all 6 (small school is an understatement) of my classmates by getting through my coursework quicker.  We were working through our phonics books, and it was down to me and the last guy.  Once he saw he was going to lose by a long stretch, he gave up.  I kept on going to finish, but at that point it really didn't matter anymore.  What was going through a phonics book as quickly as possible going to get me anyway?  I really wasn't learning that much more by going through it at a ridiculous pace.  In fact, I was absorbing less!

So much of striving in life relates to a life of faith.  When we're striving, we're busy - and B.U.S.Y. equates to "Being Under Satan’s Yoke."  Do we fear not having enough provision?  God is our Provider.  Do we fear other's thoughts of us?  God should be the one we care about pleasing most.  Do we fear we won't measure up? God has given us our own identity - unique to anyone else. Do we fear success or failure?  "Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:8)  "Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel." -1 Chronicles 22:13

Another case in point:  In singing, if you try too hard and strain your voice, you can do irreparable damage to your vocal chords.  But, if you learn to use the natural range of your voice and free it from the rest of the muscles in your throat, you can have a lot of success in singing.  Most of singing is freeing your vocal chords from the tension of the muscles surrounding them, while training your vocal chords to sing the right note.

Are you striving in any area of your life?  Ask God to help in you in that area, and help you give it to Him. 

100% Faith

"When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice."  -Genesis 22: 9 & 10

I can't imagine how Abraham must have felt after God told him to sacrifice his son.  I mean, what kind of God is this?  God’s people didn’t traditionally offer up their children as sacrifices - the pagan people did that.  Nevertheless, this is what Abraham was instructed to do, and he heeded the instruction.

We never see Abraham flinch as he is going up the mountain with Isaac.  There is no account of him stopping along the way, crying out to God, or questioning his faith.  There is no record of an emotional breakdown, a furrowed face; even a tear.  But, we do know that Abraham was counted righteous because of his faith. (Romans 4:3) It only appears that he had unwavering faith that day, faith that God was good and that He would indeed provide.

Abraham, in spite of getting to the 11:59th hour, stood firm.  The lamb was not provided at the base of the mountain.  Nor was it provided halfway up the mountain.  It was not even provided as Abraham was building the altar.  No, the lamb was provided as Abraham picked up the knife.  This speaks a great deal about TOTAL - not partial or limited - faith.  Abraham didn’t hold anything back.

Then the angel spoke. "Don’t lay a hand on the boy!" the angel said. "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son." v.12

What could God do with faith like that?  Do you have 100% faith? 

Trusting in God

"Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel."  -1 Chronicles 21:1

In the Old Testament, David instructed Joab, the commander of the army, to take a census.  This may not ordinarily have been a noteworthy event, except for the fact that David suffered enormous consequences by taking this census.  God gave David a choice of three punishments: three years of famine throughout, three months of fleeing from his enemies, or three days of severe plague.  (2 Sam 24:12) (Ouch!)

Whether or not it was Satan or God who influenced David (the scriptures say it was both), David sinned by counting the people.  In Moses' time, God gave instructions that if a census were to be taken, an offering had to be collected.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the Lord. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them. Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the Lord. (This payment is half a shekel,  based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.)'"  -Exodus 30:11-13

But it was David's and the people's disobedience that caused the plague.  He was trusting in numbers instead of in God.

It's great to have a budget, a schedule, or a way to organize or count what we're doing.  But when these types of details supersede our faith and trust in God, they can overshadow our very purpose in life, causing us to trust in our resources, instead of in Him.

Do you place your trust in God, even in the small things?  God knows what we need.  Allow Him to take any area you may struggle in and give it all to Him.  He knows the answer to everything we need.

Peace in the Midst

"God makes His people strong. God gives His people peace." - Psalm 29:11

Recently I was preparing to read the Bible when I asked God what I should read. Immediately I heard Psalm 29, so I jumped over to that chapter on my Bible app.
 
It goes like this:

"God thunders across the waters, brilliant, His voice and His face, streaming brightness - God, across the flood waters.

God's thunder tympanic, God's thunder symphonic. 
 God's thunder smashes cedars, God topples the northern cedars.

The mountain ranges skip like spring colts, The high ridges jump like wild kid goats.
God's thunder spits fire. God thunders, the wilderness quakes; He makes the desert of Kadesh shake. 
 

God's thunder sets the oak trees dancing - A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches. We fall to our knees - we call out, 'Glory!'" -Ps. 29:3-9 MSG

Just before reading this chapter I had been watching video clips of recent storms, earthquakes, floods, and dust storms that have happened all over the world in the last several years - so I knew that this was fact! But at the end of this chapter the verse states, "God makes His people strong. God gives His people peace." (v.11)
 
What an interesting juxtaposition of events! First the psalmist describes everything God can do, talking about lightning, fire, earthquakes, and wind - natural events that can seem scary or even life-threatening. Then he says, "God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace."
 
We have a magnet on our refrigerator that says, "Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."
 
Where does that kind of peace come from? It comes from unwavering trust in our unfailing God, no matter the circumstances that surround us. God does not want to instill His children with fear. He wants to instill us with strength and peace, which comes from a reverence & trust in Him - all-powerful Almighty God.
 
Are you able to live in God's peace, no matter what circumstances are in your life today? Pray today that God would make you strong and give you peace, as this Psalm states, no matter what situation or obstacle might come your way.

Adopted

"The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" - Romans 8:15

Enric Siva is a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. He and his family lived on a farm there, but during the raiding of their home, Enric's father and some of his siblings were murdered. Just 6 years old at the time, Enric and his brother escaped into the jungle and lived there for 3 months, surviving on fruits and vegetables for food. Eventually, they could not find any more food to eat, but found a Red Cross camp where they discovered that their mother was alive.

Through an unfortunate turn of events however, their mother was also killed and Enric and his brother were left to survive on the streets, doing small odd jobs to survive. Enric's story is incredible, because even in his struggle he found Christ while living on the streets and began to attend a church there in his town.

A widow with 5 children of her own discovered Enric and asked him about his life. She took him under her wing and asked him to stay with her and her five children. It was here where Enric was provided shelter, food, and clothing, and did not have to live on the street any more. God did a healing work through the church from all of the trauma Enric had endured as a young child.

While he was living on the street, Enric discovered a love for music and was given a guitar to learn how to play. Miraculously, he won a national singing competition in Rwanda, much like American Idol in the U.S., which put him in the limelight. Today, Enric speaks and performs, advocating for marginalized children.

Although Enric's story is heart-wrenching, it is an amazing testimony to God's love in how He provided for Enric throughout his journey. Enric attributes his redemption story to Jesus Christ and hopes that others will discover spiritual adoption through our Heavenly Father.

You can find more about Enric Sifa on his website at http://enricsifa.com.

Overcoming Barriers

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." -Romans 12:21
 

Have you ever wanted to get somewhere, but you just felt stuck? Have you ever encountered something you felt was blocking your way that you just couldn't get past? There will always be things in life that will try to hinder us from our intended destinations. The enemy of our souls wants nothing more than to see us stuck and unable to fulfill what God has planned for us! 

Sometimes though, the barrier may be there for a reason. What is God trying to show us? What do we need to change about ourselves or give over to God to get to the next place? Often the barrier is not what we think it is. Sometimes, the barrier is ourselves! Even if we think we are in the right, the barrier is about our growth. 

The Israelites were on their way, fleeing from the Egyptians after finally being released from slavery under the iron hand of Pharaoh. But, no sooner had they left Eqypt that Pharaoh gave orders to pursue them. "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?'" -Exodus 14:10&11. Clearly, this was not what they had in mind. 

Then Moses said to them in response, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14: 13&14 "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land." (v.21) 

There was no way in the natural the Israelites were going to be able to avoid the Eqyptians. But because Moses stood in faith on behalf of the Israelites and acted in obedience - in spite of dire circumstances - God stepped in and made a way for them.

Is there a "Red Sea" standing in your way today? Pray for God's grace to get you through that situation, and ask to see it through His eyes. God calls us to be overcomers, through Him!

Risky Business

His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ - Luke 19:22&23

Have you ever taken a risk in your life? I don't mean a risk like gambling with money or dating someone you didn't really know...but putting yourself out there with a goal or trying something new?

When we try to do something we're never assured of success, but if we do not try at all we are assured of failure. Hockey great Wayne Gretzky said, "You will miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Jesus told a parable about a master who left 3 servants in charge of his estate while he went out of town, and gave them each a share of his money. One doubled it, one made a 25% increase, but then one hid it in the ground so it would be safe. And do you know what? The servant who hid the money was punished.

The reason we don't try is that we are afraid of failure. But failure is not failure if we give it our best shot.  Failure becomes valuable wisdom as we learn what to do and what not to do. Failure becomes our teacher - if we let it. And failure paves the way on our road to success.

Sharing our faith involves risk. Starting a business involves risk. Starting a church or ministry involves risk.  We will have to give up our pride and let go of our ego (caring what other people think of us). But this should not let us miss out on the fruit the risk may produce. We must be careful that we do not end up like the wicked, lazy servant.

Anything worth doing will involve some sort of risk. Are you willing to step out in faith today?

When Faith Seems to Fail Us

"For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Have you ever hoped for something so long that your hope died? Have you ever "had faith" in something that failed you? I am sure we all have. When it happens, it makes life seem difficult. But the most difficult circumstance is when we think our God, all-powerful, all knowing, all-loving, seems to fail us.
 
Maybe it was a promotion at work. Maybe it was a relationship that we thought was going to work out. Maybe it was something we thought God told us about, even more than once. Whatever the case, God is continually working behind the scenes to bring His desired result.
 
When our friends fail us, God stands firm. When our circumstances change, He still remains the same. When we mess up, God does never rejects us as we turn the other way. It is in the doubt that we find death. But it is in faith that we find life. The beginning of faith is hope. As hope grows, it becomes a substance. It becomes real to us. We can believe that the things Jesus said are true. His character never changes. Only our circumstances do.
 
It takes faith to bring to pass the desired result. If there's something God has shown you, test it with faith. In God's economy, the currency is faith. We test our faith by moving toward the things he has already given to us.
 
Let the Christ who is never changing be the one that you know to be true. His unfailing love will bring us to the hope to find all the faith we will ever need.

Our Security & Confidence in God

"I know that you, God, are on the side of victims, that you care for the rights of the poor. And I know that the righteous personally thank you, that good people are secure in your presence."  Psalm 140:12-13 

Where do we get our security or our confidence from?  It's often easy to find both our identity and security in other people and things.  How do we know we've misplaced our sense of being, and our sense of belonging?  We'll often feel as though our core value lies outside ourselves, or that another is more valuable than we are.

There are so many cases of misplaced identity and devotion.  Just take a look at the Israelites. They had the answer, and they continued to follow false idols and gods.  Why did they do it?  They struggled with the age-old problem we've always had - do we let God be in control?  Or do we try to take the control back from Him?  (Which never really works out anyway...)

When you think of security, as in home security or a bank account, it means that the "boundaries" or "walls" are fortified.  There is no confusion about who is in or who is out.  Only the right people or things should be there.  Threats to security or safety remain outside the walls.  When we are secure, we know who is in, and who is out.  When God is at the center of our lives, there is no question about our own identity.  

"The Fear-of-God builds up confidence, and makes a world safe for your children." -Proverbs 14:26

Do you find your confidence, security, and identity in the One who made you?  Pray today that you might be even more dependent on Him to fulfill every need - in identity, in security, and most of all - in your own destiny. 

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope,  comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say." 2 Thess 2:16-17

What Is Tithing?

“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”  -Genesis 14:18-20

What is tithing?  Many people might argue that tithing is outdated, that it is an “old-fashioned” idea.  But is it?  Why did God want His people to tithe?

In Hebrew, the word “tithe” actually means 10%.  Tithing is giving 10% of all our “increase” (what we get paid) to God as an act of worship to Him.  We do this for various reasons - most of which are beneficial to us versus God.  God doesn’t need our money, but he does want our obedience.  Tithing is an act of worship meaning we agree that everything we have is His.  We are managers of all that is entrusted to us.  What we have is because of His goodness.

Craig Hill, founder of Family Foundations and author of several bestselling books on money cites the following 7 reasons why he believes each of us should employ the practice of tithing as a part of our worship to God:

• It builds faith in our hearts for God as our Source of provision
• It breaks the power of greed: “money managing me” vs. “me managing it"
• It breaks the power of fear of lack
• It establishes discipline
• It distinguishes between the Source of provision and channel of provision
• It provides support to kingdom activities
• It qualifies us to be trusted with more of God’s resources

Where should we tithe?  Malachi 3:10 talks about bringing the whole tithe “into the storehouse.”  Since we don’t have physical storehouses today, we can relate a storehouse to a place where we are being spiritually fed. More that likely this is a local church, but could be more than one place.

Have you employed the practice of tithing?  Pray and ask God how you might incorporate the practice of tithing into your life. “Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” -Malachi 3:10

Things I Cannot Comprehend

"I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say." -Job 40: 4&5

Have you ever marveled at the greatness God?  There are so many things that I cannot understand or comprehend.  My human mind just can't process it.

For instance, I cannot comprehend:

• How God knows each of us, intimately and personally; how he knows the number of hairs on each of our heads (Luke 12:7)
• How He created the world, simply by speaking (Genesis 1:9-12)
• How God created the universe, all of the planets and millions of stars (Genesis 1:14-17)
• How God created people - in His image - with the most complex body system of any other living creature on earth (Genesis 2:7)
• How God parted the Red Sea on behalf of the Israelites (Exodus 14)
• How He created Jesus, and Jesus, through Himself, gave us the power to overcome death (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20)

I suppose that is why we need faith - to overcome our natural mind.  "For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth." Psalm 47:2

Does your faith surpass the things you may not understand?  This childlike trust on our part reveals our place in the kingdom of heaven.  (Matt 18:3)  Decide to believe & trust Him today. 

Sweet Surrender

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him" - 2 Timothy 2:11

What does it mean to surrender? In many contexts, surrendering has a negative connotation – one that implies resignation, abandonment, or defeat.  But, in the Christian sense, surrender is actually a good thing.  One definition of surrender means, "to give up in favor of another".*

When we surrender our lives to Christ, we give up our own way of doing things and favor His will over our own. In order for us to do this, we have to be able to trust Him.  Trusting in God’s love is the only way to experiencing the fullness of our new life in Him.

Before the Apostle Paul was a disciple of Jesus, he was a powerful persecutor of the disciples.  He was intent on stopping the spread of the gospel.  But, one day as he was on the road to Damascus he was suddenly surrounded by a bright light.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" He was blinded for three days, but after this experience, he became one of the most fervent disciples, writing a good bit of the New Testament.  He surrendered to Jesus and the message of His salvation. (Acts 9:3–9)

There is something that happens to us when we let go and let God. When we trust Him - when we let Him take the wheel.  Even if we’ve chosen Christ in our hearts, we still need to relinquish our rights to Him.  As we recognize the depth of His sacrifice, we become ever more willing to do whatever He asks us to do so that others can experience His love. 

"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." -Col 3:3

Is there anything holding you back from giving God everything?  As a loving Father, He desires to bring us to the place of saying, “God, you can have it all for the purpose of Your glory revealed in me.” Ask God to help you surrender to His love today.

* http://www.thefreedictionary.com/surrender

God Doesn't Play Favorites

"Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.'" -Acts 10:34 & 35
 
All throughout the history of the world, things have happened that are less than ideal. People have hurt people and there have been wars. Class warfare, discrimination, and racism have existed and still exist today. In the Kingdom of God however, God plays no favorites. He loves each of us the same, much more than we will ever know. (Eph 3:17-19)

Sometimes we may think that God's blessing or approval is only reserved for "special people"; that it's based on God's criteria of random characteristics unbeknownst to us. But the fact is that each of us can choose to be one of God's favored ones, as we chose Him to be the author of the book of our lives. My husband and I always tell each other, "You're my favorite," because we've chosen the other, and we want them to know how much they are loved. 

From the beginning of the world, God gave us a gift. He gave us the gift of free will. Sometimes we use it to glorify Him. Other times, we use this gift of choice for selfish desires, and sometimes make bad choices. But, we can choose righteously. We can choose love over hate. We can choose freedom over bondage. And, we can choose how favored or close to God we want to be. The only thing separating us from God or bringing us closer to Him is our own will.

God instructs His followers to follow His example. He wants us to remain unconditional to those we encounter. There is no barrier between God and His love. Sometimes what exists between us and our sharing God's love with others is the fears, attitudes, and preconceived ideas we have that were passed down to us from others, or from things that have happened in our own lives. But, in the book of James He makes it clear that followers of Christ should not show favoritism, to anyone. "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism." -James 2:1
 
As we come to realize just a little revelation of God's love for us, we realize how much we are loved and favored as His children.  We chose Him and love Him more. Do you know you are God's favored one today?