Tag: bible

Christian

Look for the Rain

Highlighting Hope

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

God kindly informs us that will face battles, we will endure storms in life and they are rooted in spiritual wickedness! Although, I know this to be true and I have thought on and read over this verse many times, I still find myself struggling with the “surprise factor” when battles or storms actually arise. Maybe you do too.

In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter tells us that when trouble and hardship come, we should not be caught off guard.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

So, while storms and trouble may brew around you, rest assured that while you weather your storm, God will send the rain! The storm may be present, but God will rain down on you everything you need to bring glory to His name, and keep you fruitful! God, Himself will faithfully rain down on you all that you need to sustain you, and provide you with a holy vibrancy that is only due to a Heavenly Father nourishing the souls of His children!

Do you find yourself weathering a storm? If so, join me in the practice of looking for the spiritual rain pouring down from the heart of our Heavenly Father and bask fully in His love and provision!

Christian

The God of Heaven Will Take You by the Hand

Highlighting Hope

The act of hand holding occurs under various circumstances, but they are rooted in care. You hold the hand of the one who has captured your heart and desire to love forever, you hold the hand of your children when want to ensure their safety as you cross a busy street, you hold the hand of a loved one lying in a hospital bed in hopes to bring them comfort and simply let them feel your presence. The circumstances vary but all are intimately rooted in love and care.

As I read the following verses in Jeremiah, my heart is captivated by the intentional language used to describe how God was leading His people out of Egypt, all while knowing the condition of the hearts of those He was leading.

God recalls the day that He took His people “by the hand.” This was the day God was leading His people out of Egypt, out of a place of bondage. What tremendous love and care we see from God as He cares for a people who have broken His covenant.

But leading them out of a place of bondage was just the beginning. After their exit, they faced a desert place that would require God’s constant love, care, provision and guidance. God did not lead them out of Egypt just abandon them at the gate to fend for themselves the rest of the way. No, our God takes us by the hand.

Wherever you find yourself today, know that in any and every circumstance, the God of heaven and earth is holding your hand! What a beautiful picture of grace and mercy!

Jeremiah 31:31-33

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, [32] not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Christian

Bearing Fruit in the Bleak of Midwinter

Highlighting Hope 
  Psalm 1:1-3:

Blessed is the man
     Who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
Or stand in the way of sinners
     Or sit in the seat of mockers.
But His delight is in the law of the Lord,
  and on His law He meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
   which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
   Whatever he does prospers.

These are some of my favorite verses in scripture. In these verses, I find comfort and I am reminded that I am desperately in need of a source outside of myself to constantly nourish me in order to produce the necessary fruit we are called to bear in every season of life. As I read these verses, a beautiful, tranquil image fills my mind. I imagine the most beautiful, crystal blue stream of water flowing peacefully. From the water’s edge and beyond is vibrant, green grass, and lush, sturdy trees. I imagine this to be a day where the sunshine provides the perfect amount of warmth. I imagine a place that I want to stay and linger. A place of perfect peace.

In a climate such as this, it would be of no surprise to see a nearby apple tree bursting with produce. So many apples fill these branches, that after you’ve had your fair share of picking, there’s still plenty of apples left hanging on the tree to prove that it is still yielding fruit in its season. What I imagine describes the perfect scenario for growth, prosperity, and abundance. Everything is just right and it seems fitting to see fruit growing from the tree.

But, what if the scenario is nothing like what has just been described? In fact, these verses never give the description that I tend to imagine in my mind’s eye as I read them. What if we are a tree planted by the stream of water but the season is in the bleak of winter? Maybe the climate is bitterly cold and the sky is a dreary grey. What if in those conditions, you were to look down stream and see in the midst of the all the grey and bitter surroundings, this same apple tree, still bursting with produce, bursting with fruit that’s good to eat. Any passerby would stop to gaze at a tree that is still producing fruit in unlikely circumstances. Anyone passing by would have to stop to look at the fruit that should not be present and wonder how it’s possible. One might even cave to the yearning to pick an apple off of that tree just to see if it’s any good, to see if it’s legit.

What we see here is a change in the circumstances and seasons. However, the one thing has remained the same, is the source that is still continuously supplying the tree. This source, the stream, is STILL present and it STILL continues to flow and supply all that is needed in every season, and thus, allowing the tree to bear much fruit in unlikely circumstances.

 In these verses, I’m reminded that our fruitfulness relies completely on the stream. Without the stream, that tree would not bear fruit, even if the circumstances surrounding it are favorable for it to do so. Jesus tells us in John 7:38, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

I don’t know all of my readers. Nor do I know what season of life you may be finding yourself in today, but I do know Jesus, and from Him flows a continuous supply of living water! This living water will do more than sustain you. This living water will allow you to be fruitful, even in the bleak of midwinter.  So, I implore you to draw near to this stream of living water. Allow Jesus’ loving, faithful, and reliable supply to flow from you. Draw near to this place. Stay and linger, and you will find that it is a place of perfect peace.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last”
 John 15:16

Christian

Bearing Fruit in the Bleak of Midwinter

Highlighting Hope 
  Psalm 1:1-3:

Blessed is the man
     Who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
Or stand in the way of sinners
     Or sit in the seat of mockers.
But His delight is in the law of the Lord,
  and on His law He meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
   which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
   Whatever he does prospers.

These are some of my favorite verses in scripture. In these verses, I find comfort and I am reminded that I am desperately in need of a source outside of myself to constantly nourish me in order to produce the necessary fruit we are called to bear in every season of life. As I read these verses, a beautiful, tranquil image fills my mind. I imagine the most beautiful, crystal blue stream of water flowing peacefully. From the water’s edge and beyond is vibrant, green grass, and lush, sturdy trees. I imagine this to be a day where the sunshine provides the perfect amount of warmth. I imagine a place that I want to stay and linger. A place of perfect peace.

In a climate such as this, it would be of no surprise to see a nearby apple tree bursting with produce. So many apples fill these branches, that after you’ve had your fair share of picking, there’s still plenty of apples left hanging on the tree to prove that it is still yielding fruit in its season. What I imagine describes the perfect scenario for growth, prosperity, and abundance. Everything is just right and it seems fitting to see fruit growing from the tree.

But, what if the scenario is nothing like what has just been described? In fact, these verses never give the description that I tend to imagine in my mind’s eye as I read them. What if we are a tree planted by the stream of water but the season is in the bleak of winter? Maybe the climate is bitterly cold and the sky is a dreary grey. What if in those conditions, you were to look down stream and see in the midst of the all the grey and bitter surroundings, this same apple tree, still bursting with produce, bursting with fruit that’s good to eat. Any passerby would stop to gaze at a tree that is still producing fruit in unlikely circumstances. Anyone passing by would have to stop to look at the fruit that should not be present and wonder how it’s possible. One might even cave to the yearning to pick an apple off of that tree just to see if it’s any good, to see if it’s legit.

What we see here is a change in the circumstances and seasons. However, the one thing has remained the same, is the source that is still continuously supplying the tree. This source, the stream, is STILL present and it STILL continues to flow and supply all that is needed in every season, and thus, allowing the tree to bear much fruit in unlikely circumstances.

 In these verses, I’m reminded that our fruitfulness relies completely on the stream. Without the stream, that tree would not bear fruit, even if the circumstances surrounding it are favorable for it to do so. Jesus tells us in John 7:38, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

I don’t know all of my readers. Nor do I know what season of life you may be finding yourself in today, but I do know Jesus, and from Him flows a continuous supply of living water! This living water will do more than sustain you. This living water will allow you to be fruitful, even in the bleak of midwinter.  So, I implore you to draw near to this stream of living water. Allow Jesus’ loving, faithful, and reliable supply to flow from you. Draw near to this place. Stay and linger, and you will find that it is a place of perfect peace.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last”
 John 15:16

Christian

Look for the Rain

Highlighting Hope

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

God kindly informs us that will face battles, we will endure storms in life and they are rooted in spiritual wickedness! Although, I know this to be true and I have thought on and read over this verse many times, I still find myself struggling with the “surprise factor” when battles or storms actually arise. Maybe you do too.

In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter tells us that when trouble and hardship come, we should not be caught off guard.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

So, while storms and trouble may brew around you, rest assured that while you weather your storm, God will send the rain! The storm may be present, but God will rain down on you everything you need to bring glory to His name, and keep you fruitful! God, Himself will faithfully rain down on you all that you need to sustain you, and provide you with a holy vibrancy that is only due to a Heavenly Father nourishing the souls of His children!

Do you find yourself weathering a storm? If so, join me in the practice of looking for the spiritual rain pouring down from the heart of our Heavenly Father and bask fully in His love and provision!

Christian

Get Up and Walk!

Highlighting Hope

The enemy loves to cast discouragement our way, and it often occurs in the seat of our minds. As I began casting my cares upon the Lord, the Holy Spirit spoke and said “Get up and walk!” I was taken aback at this response, because I wasn’t done wallowing in what was troubling my heart, but again I heard, “Get up and walk!”

Bitterness can strike the heart of the believer quickly, often unexpectedly, and always leading to unforgiveness. If bitterness and unforgiveness are what seems to plague your heart today, give it over to the Lord and “Get up and walk!”

Disappointment may be lurking around the corner, looking to greet you, and seeking to shatter the hope that you have in Christ. When disappointment makes its presence known and seeks to linger, give it over to the Lord and “Get up and walk!”

Struggles with sin are sure to arise, seeking to silence the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life. When sin seeks to dominate, confess it, give it over to the Lord, and “Get up and walk!”

When grief strikes, know that God is the God of all comfort; and if God is the God of all comfort, then there is nothing that you are facing, no pain that plagues your heart today, that is beyond His ability for which He can provide relief and healing. Dear friend, God our Father says you can in fact, “Get up and walk!”

As we cast our cares over and lay them at the feet of Jesus, may we cast them over knowing that we cast them over and lay them before a Conquering King! We cast them over to the One who provides and has provided us with perfect healing. What should cripple and paralyze, no longer cripples and paralyzes those of us who are in Christ, because the Holy Spirit that He has given us, enables us to obey His command to “Get up and walk!”

Jesus healed a paralyzed man by commanding him saying, “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And what was the paralyzed man’s response? He got up and walked! We often think the end result is that this paralyzed man was able to finally walk. He finally received his needed healing, but that was hardly the final result. The final result was that God was glorified in this act, and all who saw the man who was lame get up and walk responded by saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today!” (Luke 5: 17-26)

Friends, when we follow Jesus’ command to get up and walk, we do in fact show that we have received a supernatural healing, but the result is never for the sole purpose that we “get to feel better” or for a “new and improved life.” No, it’s always for the sole purpose that God gets all of the glory! It allows us to put His miraculous acts on display for all the world see, and then many will in fact say, “Today, I have seen extraordinary things!” Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let’s follow the command of Our Savior! Let’s get up and walk!

Christian

Reaching Certainty Through Surrender

Highlighting Hope

I believe ,that embedded in all of our hearts, is a desire for certainty. It may seem in vain to have this desire because what aspects of life are certain?

Although uncertainty is true for this life, it is not true for God, and a having a misplaced source to fill this desire for certainty will only cause us to experience heightened insecurities, doubts, fears, and emptiness. The control over our lives that we seek to have results only in an increased deficit of control, which is the opposite of what we are seeking. I know this to be true because I have been there and I will admit to being a first-hand witness.

I sought after this control over my life. I thought I was grabbing a good dose of certainty and direction when I went off to college for the first time. I went as far from home as I could go without leaving the state. I was going to fix my life and things were about to get better for me, so I thought. I was going to make a big turnaround and finally do things the right way, but the, “do things right” part was short lived- if ever lived at all.

This pursuit only left me empty and lost. My insecurities continued to grow with each passing day. There were moments when I attempted to pray that God would intervene and change my heart and life. I knew that I was stuck in a life and rhythm of doing things my way, and even though its results only offered more emptiness, I struggled with wanting to leave it.

Months later, God did answer those halfhearted prayers. He flooded my heart with conviction and brokenness. I experienced His presence for the first time in a way that is truly indescribable. It’s what happened next though that really surprised me. That day, God called me to leave that college and go back home. Upon that call, so many questions filled my mind. How could I quit college in the middle of spring semester? What would my parents say? What would people think? Is this really the right thing to do? As God’s heavy urge to simply “go home” grew louder, the questions began to fade away. That day I withdrew from that school and took my first step towards true certainty even though I didn’t know what would lie ahead of me and so many of my questions were still left unanswered.

Our insecurities and uncertainties about life and all that it beholds will always be trumped and silenced by God’s call; but this is only true if we choose to obey His call. Obedience to God, whether or not we understand all the aspects of the “where and why” He is leading us a certain way, solves a lot of our problems.

Honestly, it was gut-wrenching to go from “my way” to “His way”. In the end, the control I thought I had, and the ability to self-fix only served to keep me enslaved to emptiness, disappointment, and heart ache. Sometimes we seek out this grand formula to follow and if we can’t find one, we create our own.

The plan for us to follow though is simple- it’s simply surrender. Surrendering to God’s call and walking in obedience to Him was the first plan He had in place, and abandoning it the Garden of Eden is where all the trouble began. Obedience to God solves the true root of our problems, and it will always provide us with the true certainty we are longing for.

Christian

Dear Exiled One

Highlighting Hope

Dear elect exiled one, to the one who finds themselves misplaced or in a wilderness place, may God’s grace and peace be multiplied to you!

Peter was addressing his persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ who had experienced being exiled from their homes. They now found themselves in unfamiliar places and the comfort of home was gone. But was all comfort and hope really lost? Though all seemed to quickly fade around them, and the things of this world only continued to reveal just how temporary they are, Peter quickly reminded them of what they had that was alive and unfading.

Here in 1 Peter 1, he was reminding these exiles, those whom God has called, of the firm foundation they had beneath them.

✨There is a grace and peace that God provides that can be multiplied to you this very day! (1 Peter 1:2)

✨Jesus has caused you to be born again to a LIVING hope! (1 Peter 1:3)

✨This living hope guarantees you an inheritance that will never perish, an inheritance that is pure and an inheritance that is unfading! (1 Peter 1:4)

✨In circumstances that are uncertain, you remain guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is to be revealed- sooner rather than later, with each passing day! (1 Peter 1:5)

✨When the trials of life seem to bring you continuous grief- they will serve to produce a refined faith because our faith lies in our Living Hope (Jesus)! (1 Peter 1:6, 7)

✨All of these gifts, which are unaltered by circumstance, these gifts that are graciously given by our Heavenly Father. This grace that we receive, which is fulfilled in Christ Jesus, is one that is personal, and is a grace that is to be yours! (1 Peter 1:10)

Do you find yourself feeling as if all comfort and hope are lost? Cling to the truths found in God’s word and stand firm in the grace and peace that God is able to multiply to you this very day!

Christian

What’s YOUR Manna From Heaven?

Highlighting Hope

When my son was little, my husband had certain things that he loved picking on him about. It would be getting close to a meal time and my son would say something like, “I’m so hungry! What are we eating for supper?”

My husband would quickly jump on the opportunity to answer his question with, “Grant, you are going to love supper tonight! I’m going to go outside and pick a bunch of grass and mix it with some dirt and maybe add in some rocks for a crunch.”

It was always so funny to hear my husband’s “purposed dinner menu” because it was absolutely and obviously absurd – even to a little boy and it provided us with a good laugh!

Our son knew his father’s crazy answer to his question was not what he was going to be fed for supper because he knows his father and he knows his father’s goodness to him- despite the fact that he still didn’t know the real answer to his question. His relationship with his father and his father’s constant provision for him proved otherwise.

Matthew 7:9-11 says, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

I think if we are honest, we could say that we have experienced moments of doubt towards God. Life has a way of throwing curve balls and hardships our way, causing us to become vulnerable to doubting God’s goodness and plan. But yet, it’s through difficulty that I have personally seen and experienced God’s gracious hand and provision in my life. My circumstances may have been ones that I despised, but I have been able to see God rise above them and, in turn, know the God I serve in a deeper way!

Difficult seasons have served as a reminder to me that our circumstances do not change the nature of God. His very own people that He rescued from captivity out of Egypt were not immediately led into the land flowing with milk and honey, but rather they first had to endure a long, difficult, and trying journey through the desert. Did this harsh climate change the nature and goodness of God? Absolutely not! Instead, we see Him miraculously provide Manna from heaven and water flowing from a rock!

God began to challenge me many months ago to ask myself, “What is your Manna from heaven?” My focus can so easily become fixed upon my difficulties that I stop seeking God and miss seeing how He is present and active in my life currently- despite the hardship.

So, I extend to you the same question the Lord impressed on me, “What is the Manna from heaven that God is providing in your life right now?”

Maybe you find yourself in a wilderness place, but as a child of God, rest assured, although the climate of life may be relentlessly tough, know that God is providing you with His Manna from heaven. Pray that He would allow you to see beyond your circumstances, that so easily blind us, so that you may see His glorious love and goodness that is being displayed in your life in spite of difficulty.

Because God is our good father, we have His unwavering promises and His undeniable truths! He is surely faithful to give good things to those who ask Him in faith!

Isaiah 54:10
“…. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord.

Christian

Is it Time to Stop Praying?

Highlighting Hope

Is today the day that God may be saying to you that it’s time to stop praying?…. What a bogus question to ask, right? Or is it? Now, before you write me off for asking something so outlandish, please hear me out. I promise there is good reason for asking a question such as this.

I truly love praying! Cast ALL of my MANY cares upon the Lord??? Umm…. YES, PLEASE! Prayer is a privilege and it allows us to commune with God. He calls us to come to Him with all sorts of prayers and requests at all times of the day! Time and time again, I have gone back and read through my prayer journals and I have enjoyed reading past prayers and then recognize that God has answered so many of them in amazing ways. Even small little prayers that I had forgotten all about! Praying and watching God lovingly respond, is such a blessing and is a major faith builder for me.

But, is there a time when God calls us to stop praying about something? And surprisingly, I believe the answer is YES. If you are familiar at all with the book of Exodus then you already know that this book is all about God’s deliverance. I never get tired of going back and reading this book! How in the world can reading about God splitting the Red Sea so that He could lead His people out of a land of slavery get old? It’s such a faith builder and it helps me keep a true perspective of God as it beautifully puts His power on display.

But as I was reading this week, I stumbled across some verses that had never stood out to me before. Just as the Israelites were nearing the Red Sea, Pharaoh’s army continued moving closer to them. Fear quickly overtook the large crowd of escapees and Moses assures them that on this very day they would see the deliverance of the Lord.

But it’s the verse following this that really grabbed me.
Exodus 14:15 says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you still crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”
Wow! “Why are you still crying out to me?” This is what the Lord asked Moses as they stood in front of a large body of water with a massive army getting closer to them by the minute. I believe I would have still been crying out to the Lord too!

But what God was saying to Moses here in the middle of an intense, scary, and chaotic moment, is that there is a time when we are to stop praying and to start walking in faith!

God had heard the cries of His people and their prayers were being answered with each passing step. They just had to trust the God who was delivering them and allow their faith to be greater than their fear.

So could it be that God is asking us the very same question, “Why are you still crying out to me?” Maybe you have continued to pray about something and as God is answering your prayer, He is calling you out into the unknown and to trust Him.

I think that it’s important to ask ourselves, and to recognize if today is the very day that God is saying it’s time to stop praying about it and it’s time to start walking!