THOUGHTS 1/25/21

Would you rather live in a house made of sticks, straw or bricks?

Would you prefer to build this house on sand or rock?

If you are thinking, well of course the house made of bricks because I've read the Three Little Pigs and to build it on rock because it will sink on sand then we are in agreement!

What have you built your worldview on?

I believe the year of 2020 showed us so much more of what/who we put our trust in. We learned what our safe place is and it made us look deeper into our souls. We searched and we researched. For some, it it has been a year of fear & anger, for others frustration & sadness and the list can go on and on. We have felt things that we hadn't experienced before. Have you discovered a new anxiety from the past year that was not common for you before? Or maybe an enhanced anxiety to a previous level of anxiety? Have you experienced depression or grief? Maybe you had an amazing first experience with God or became closer to Him? Or maybe...you have felt abandoned and unloved.     I had to pause there.    I'm thinking of you and what you could be feeling right now while reading these words. I know you need encouragement, you need to feel peace and you need to know your worth. Friend, I need those things too.

When the whole world changes drastically over a short period of time, it is going to affect us. Whether we admit it or not, we have all been affected by the past 12 months. We have all gone through major changes with work, school, sports, activities, friendships, families, loss, sickness, community and earthly leadership. You are not alone in this. Many of us are struggling, but yes...some more than others as we are unique human beings. But we are called to rise above this! We can't do it on our own though, we are not strong enough to defeat the agenda of Satan without Christ. It is Christ within us that gives us the power to overcome and if your name is written in the Book of Life then friend, you have the power of Jesus within you and you CAN rejoice and experience freedom. Satan wants us to feel isolated, confused, far from safety and fearful. He wants us to be anxious, angry and question the Lord's Sovereignty. Satan is distracting us with earthly hardships, confusion and chaos to pull us away from God and each other. He knows that the LORD says, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." (Matthew 18:20 NASB). Well, social distancing is sure preventing a lot of that currently, but I want to encourage you to think outside the box. How can you encourage family & friends today? What about a note of prayer & encouragement in the mail? What about a video chat call with a group of friends or family? A weekly Zoom call for your circle of friends where you can pray for each other and life each other up? Maybe you could make some meals and deliver them to friends porches? I want to challenge you to step out and be the hands and feet of Jesus this week and show love to another person.

The Lord commands us to love the Lord our God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment and then the second is to love one another. (Matthew 22:37-39) 

The culture has changed the way we think about love but 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 gives us clarification: "Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep account of wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

The best things we can do from this moment forward is to challenge our thoughts. Take our thoughts captive and focus more on whatever is true, honorable, right, lovely, pure, commendable and worthy of praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8) We have been distracted long enough and enough is enough. "Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7 NASB). 

What questions do you have about the Lord? 

Have you asked Him to be the Lord of your life? 

What is holding you back from accepting God?