"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." -2Cor 5:1 (NKJV)
"...for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal."
-2Cor 4:18 (NASB)
In this marvelous world of technology and marketing that we live in, we are literally bombarded daily with thousands of advertisements, marketing statements, and guarantees. One thing I have learned for sure (and I know I'm not the only one), is that if we put our trust and faith in worldly things, we will surely be let down. A good example of this is the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. As we watched the chaos unfold, ecosystems destroyed, and lives changed forever, we could only sit helpless watching how our world was impacted in a matter of minutes before and after the explosion. Fishermen and surrounding communities that had absolutely no affiliation with BP were impacted directly, as were shareholders thousands of miles away. You see, many people in Europe and around the world owned stocks and dividends in BP. These dividends were their so called "nest egg"- a good investments that they could rely on to retire with, but still continue working currently. Well, as you may already know- BP was forced to pay out tens of BILLIONS of dollars to the victims and their families. All of a sudden, that so called "nest egg" (which most of these people did not even work for BP)- was gone.
Even recently, I experienced a major hit in my life. I was engaged to a wonderful woman for the past year, and we had our whole future planned out. Through a series of events and fall outs, we watched as our relationship- which we had worked on so hard to build the right way, began to crumble. So now we are both left wondering, "How did we get to this point?" Things still may or may not work out for us- it's too early to tell. What I can tell you through all of this, though, is that storms, disasters, trials, and unexpected situations will surely arise in life- but God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His character is perfect and never changes, and His will for our lives can not be matched. All of us have been through something, especially if you're a single father. How we respond to these times reflects directly on our personal relationship with the Lord. Stay in the Word, even when you don't feel like reading. Keep praying, even if it feels like your prayers are bouncing off of the ceiling- because they're not. I am speaking from experience here, and Jesus will bring you to a level of peace and comfort that the world can not. (Phil 4:4-6) That is the ONLY guarantee in life.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Our Weakest Point
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil..." -Matt 4:1 (NKJV)
If there is one thing I understand and am constantly learning- we have an enemy that does not tire, and will usually hit us the hardest when we are down. However, I also know that without a doubt...we have a great High Priest who is constantly interceding for us on our behalf. Recently I experienced a shake in my foundation that rattled me pretty hard. In fact, some of these events altered a portion of my life, albeit temporarily. I was mad, hurt, and offended- a PERFECT breeding ground for bitterness and revenge to set it. It may have not been instantly, but my reaction was to turn back to the flesh and my old ways...ways that almost destroyed me once before.
I wanted to pray, but they fell flat; I wanted to get in the Word, but could not focus; I received counseling and guidance from friends, but even that fell on deaf ears for the first week or two. I felt as if I was all alone, completely defenseless against the spiritual onslaught that I was being hammered with. Oh, what a great God we serve! "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." -Heb 2:18 (NKJV) I am now on the tail end of the attack. I know it will not stop, but I have regained my footing and am able to stand (with God's help) and fight back. This is attributed to several factors. One, God loves me (us) so much that He sent Jesus to die for us for moments exactly like this. Two, my foundation in Christ was built upon a Rock that took on the storm and did not fall. (Although I was not perfect through it all in regards to the flesh- I did not crumble and give in to more serious actions) This foundation has come over the past several years from spending QUALITY one on one time with the Lord in prayer, fellowship, and the reading of His Word. Three, I experienced a Holy Spirit encounter with a group of prayer warriors that I was not expecting. In short, one woman with such great discernment saw what was going on in my life, and I never even hinted to anything. Immediately the entire group began to lay hands on me, pray over me, and heal me. Evil principalities and forces were bound and cast out, and God's favor, healing, and anointing were loosened- all in the name of Jesus. It truly was one of the greatest experiences of my life!
The point I'm getting at here is that we will all go through great shakes in our foundation multiple times in our lives. Stuff happens- both good and bad. What you must know, though, is that nothing happens in your life that God does not allow. We may not understand why or how it did, but He has also equipped you with everything you need to get through. Maybe today you are suffering from a great hurt. Jesus took the full load of pain when He endured the cross. Perhaps you are facing a variety of temptations, He was offered all of that and more. (See Matt 4) Or finally, maybe you have lost your direction, footing, or foundation- then now is the time to cry out to God more than ever to help get you back on track. Some times are easier than others; but no matter what the trial- God has you. He will never leave, abandon, or forsake us. In fact, He sent His only Son to die on our behalf- THAT is how much He loves you! If you haven't gone through anything of this sort yet, be preparred. Our enemy is cunning and slick- always looking for a way to destroy us. (1Peter 5:8, John 10:10, 2Cor 11:14) Strengthen yourself daily in spending time with the Lord. When you do, you will not only be able to stand strong in the midst of the storm, but you will be able to flip the script and defeat the devil in that day!
If there is one thing I understand and am constantly learning- we have an enemy that does not tire, and will usually hit us the hardest when we are down. However, I also know that without a doubt...we have a great High Priest who is constantly interceding for us on our behalf. Recently I experienced a shake in my foundation that rattled me pretty hard. In fact, some of these events altered a portion of my life, albeit temporarily. I was mad, hurt, and offended- a PERFECT breeding ground for bitterness and revenge to set it. It may have not been instantly, but my reaction was to turn back to the flesh and my old ways...ways that almost destroyed me once before.
I wanted to pray, but they fell flat; I wanted to get in the Word, but could not focus; I received counseling and guidance from friends, but even that fell on deaf ears for the first week or two. I felt as if I was all alone, completely defenseless against the spiritual onslaught that I was being hammered with. Oh, what a great God we serve! "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." -Heb 2:18 (NKJV) I am now on the tail end of the attack. I know it will not stop, but I have regained my footing and am able to stand (with God's help) and fight back. This is attributed to several factors. One, God loves me (us) so much that He sent Jesus to die for us for moments exactly like this. Two, my foundation in Christ was built upon a Rock that took on the storm and did not fall. (Although I was not perfect through it all in regards to the flesh- I did not crumble and give in to more serious actions) This foundation has come over the past several years from spending QUALITY one on one time with the Lord in prayer, fellowship, and the reading of His Word. Three, I experienced a Holy Spirit encounter with a group of prayer warriors that I was not expecting. In short, one woman with such great discernment saw what was going on in my life, and I never even hinted to anything. Immediately the entire group began to lay hands on me, pray over me, and heal me. Evil principalities and forces were bound and cast out, and God's favor, healing, and anointing were loosened- all in the name of Jesus. It truly was one of the greatest experiences of my life!
The point I'm getting at here is that we will all go through great shakes in our foundation multiple times in our lives. Stuff happens- both good and bad. What you must know, though, is that nothing happens in your life that God does not allow. We may not understand why or how it did, but He has also equipped you with everything you need to get through. Maybe today you are suffering from a great hurt. Jesus took the full load of pain when He endured the cross. Perhaps you are facing a variety of temptations, He was offered all of that and more. (See Matt 4) Or finally, maybe you have lost your direction, footing, or foundation- then now is the time to cry out to God more than ever to help get you back on track. Some times are easier than others; but no matter what the trial- God has you. He will never leave, abandon, or forsake us. In fact, He sent His only Son to die on our behalf- THAT is how much He loves you! If you haven't gone through anything of this sort yet, be preparred. Our enemy is cunning and slick- always looking for a way to destroy us. (1Peter 5:8, John 10:10, 2Cor 11:14) Strengthen yourself daily in spending time with the Lord. When you do, you will not only be able to stand strong in the midst of the storm, but you will be able to flip the script and defeat the devil in that day!
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