Sinner's Hope

"Jesus refused to close His ear or His eyes to the cries of a world in pain, loneliness, despair, disease, and imminent death. So, He came to us and became pain for us on a cross. Driven by love, His outstretched arms on the cross were the universal symbol of an invitation for a loving embrace. His cross says, 'I'm here. I heard your cry and I saw your pain. My love will make you complete, Believe.' His empty tomb says, 'Follow Me and live beyond the grave where pain cannot travel to and death cannot exist.' " -Don Jennings

We live in a world full of hurt, full of sin, full of Satan. Temptations are always upon us, right around the corner, staring at us in our face, or waiting for us in tomorrow's time. It's no surprise to us, or to God that temptation is all around us, all that matters is how we respond to it, what we do, how we manage those temptations. I would like to say I am perfect and innocent, and never give in or are overcome by these temptations. That I, a Christian woman, constantly pray and rely on God to help me break through the walls of temptation. But I, as any other sinner on this earth, am not perfect, and have given in, sometimes over and over, and over. Then I get slapped in the face, and God wakes me up, and guides me back to Him.

This happened just recently, I was tempted, and let the devil win. The entire time, I knew what I was doing, I knew what was right and what was wrong about it. I let it happen. I enjoyed almost every second of it, and that is exactly what Satan wanted me to do. I could sit here and point fingers at the devil all day, but all in all I am the one to blame. If I loved Jesus, and my relationships as much as I should have, then I would have prayed about it, and asked Him to help me overcome the temptation that was tripping me up. But when I sat around, and didn't listen to my conscience and didn't obey His commandments, a slap in the face is exactly what I needed, and in fact what it took to wake me up and make me quit succumbing to the temptation. I admit I am a sinner, and there is no way this girl is making it to heaven without God's infinite grace, praise be to Him for that.

People walk in and out of our lives everyday. Strangers become friends, and friends become strangers. Sometimes one relationship change is easier than another, regardless, one must pray, and know that God has a will for whatever happens in our lives. Even though we walk through life with free will and choice to everything we say do and believe, He still is in control, and He always knows what is going on and what will come to be. Every relationship will come to pass, everyone dies, death is the outcome for every living being, but if you choose Him, and a relationship with Him, that is the one relationship that is everlasting, will last into eternity, thus should be the one on which you spend most of your time improving. I have to remind myself all the time of this. Especially here recently, but what has helped is just letting Jesus hear my whole heart, spilling all my guts and broken pieces out into His arms, His ears. Letting Him know that I know that He is there and He is listening, letting Him hear my confession and repentance. Asking Him for comfort and a new direction, and seeking it in His Word. 

My heart aches for the pain I have caused some people that I absolutely love dearly, pain I cannot take back, pain that I cannot heal at this time, pain that I have to rely on God's hands to heal, and rely on His comfort to know is being healed. Pain that I am sure is way beyond the pains I constantly feel for my sorry self. I betrayed, decieved, and practically tore apart a relationship I never wanted to do that to. Thus, I sit back and pay the consequences, and pray. Pray to a sovereign Lord who heals all pain, I don't even care at this point if He tends to my pain, though I know He already is, but I pray He is healing the wounds in them that I have created. 

And as always, I don't forget about my prayer warriors. Those people that I rely on with my prayer requests and needs, those people that fervently pray for me, I let them know of my struggles, and accept their hand in God's help. When you are hurting, He is there. When you are happy, He is there. I am thankful for His help through the tough times and give Him my appreciation in the ups, He more than deserves it.

'Trust in God's timing. It's better to wait awhile and have things fall into place, than to rush and have things fall apart.' -Adam Cappa

2 Cor. 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be bad or good."

Being a Light in a Dark World

God uses the peculiar, the odd, and the broken...in other words, He uses us.

 ~Patsy Clairmont

 

 ~Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.~ Matthew 5:14

Imagine a warm, clear, calm night, driving down the highway towards home. From many miles away (in Kansas anyways, flat land for days) you can see the lights of your town, in fact you can see the lights of your town, the town beyond it, and the town beyond that! Now, imagine that each town is one Christian, and you are the 50 random people that may pass by you or a fellow Christian in a given day. The bigger your heart for God, and the more focused you are on living your life for Him, the brighter that light will be, the easier it will be for others to see God here on this earth.

Be the light that helps others see. -Unknown
Life is not always red roses and rainbows, sometimes life can make our light dim, but remember that this is satan's goal. God lets us go through these hardships, and fight these small battles in our lives to prepare us for the big fight. When we had a victory in basketball, we did not get to skip practice the next day, we continued to practice, continued to work hard, and continued to better ourselves. It is the same way with life, each battle is just a little practice to get us and God closer to each big victory, and that is winning hearts for God! All He wants is your heart, your neighbor's heart, that stranger's heart, your dad's heart, and your friends' hearts, He is a selfish God, He wants them all.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ~But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.~
I absolutely love this verse, and read it just a couple weeks back when I was having, what I thought at the time, a horrible week. I felt as though...I was losing something that held a spot in my heart, not a big spot, but an important one. Something that had become a huge blessing in my life, more and more since the day I stumbled upon it. To this day, I have not lost it, and yet I have. The distance has grown, and feels like trudging through cement to get back to where I was. But, on a positive note, I have read my Bible a lot more frequently, helps me focus on Him and not my life around me and the tiny little insignificant negatives that I sometimes can make a big deal out of.

The Lord has been working tenderly on my heart these past few weeks, helping me not make mountains out of these midget molehills. And through it all, I have been much more blessed than burdened. :) Whenever you feel unloved, unimportant, or insecure remember to Whom you belong.

~Do not worry about tomorrow.~ Matthew 6:34
Stop focusing on how stressed you are and focus on how blessed you are. ~Unknown
This was a random quote I found whilst scrolling through my news feed on Facebook one day...let's just say it was God's perfect timing! Mmm. I love that Guy! Worry should not be a focus in our lives, and when we find that it is, we need to lift, throw, or shove them up to God in prayer.

Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God. -Unknown
God commands us to not judge, therefore judge we must not. He does not send the struggling and hopeless into our lives for us to mock and laugh at, NO, He sends the weak our way, so that we can help lift them up, help them stand on their feet, and walk closer to God. You may be the first Christian that has ever crossed that person's life and made the effort to tell them the story of Jesus and show them His kind of love. You may be the only light in that person's darkness, prepare yourself to be a bright one!

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on such things. Philippians 4:8
In high school I was very active in sports, and my high school volleyball and track coach was all about attitude, she could convince us that even if we were about to play the worst team in the league, they could beat us, and we could lose, with just a team full of bad attitudes. That your attitude could win or lose the race before you even started. Well it is just the same on the court/track as it is off. Life is really just a big battle for God. We should strive to be the victors. In order to succeed, we need to be thinking on good things, dwell on His Word to help us remember to be pure in heart and mind, so that people will see us as good examples of His ways.

You own the skies and still You want my heart. ~Hillsong United song entitled "Up in Arms"
I absolutely LOVE music. I mean, the list could go God, family, friends, music, breathing. yeah, I love it that much. Maybe it is not the music itself, so much as worshipping God through it. Christian music is always more than just a song for me, it is words that God has given someone in song, words that I can lift up over and over to Him. Words that draw me to my knees, in awe of Him, and all that He has blessed me with, all the He has helped me live through, causing me to weep in thanksgiving to Him.

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30
What God is bringing you through at this very moment is going to be the testimony that will bring somebody else through. No mess, no message. -Unknown
There is darkness, everywhere. Satan is everywhere, trying to extinguish all of God's candles. Don't let the devil win. God gave His Son for you, for me, He deserves the extra effort in this battle. Can you imagine life without darkness? I can't, but when I envision the complete and utter absence of darkness, the only thing I can picture is Heaven, and being at Jesus' side, and you can't be anything but joyful once you have that image on the brain!

It's funny how someone who was just a stranger last year, can mean so much to you now. It's terrible that someone who meant so much to you last year can be a stranger now. It's amazing what a year can do. ~Unknown
Ecclesiastes 3:1,6 ~To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;~
God reminds us in Ecclesiastes that just as life itself is temporary, every little thing in life is temporary. We will not always have our best friend, our sister, our loving mother just a phone call or text away, no, this too shall come to pass. Upon acknowledging this truth, we can appreciate all that we have, while we have it, and learn to let go when it seems we don't, or when we lose it. The easiest way I have found to keep my head up through trials and loss is pray, pray, pray, and read His Word. If you need guidance on where to start in the Bible when you are having a tough time, flip to the back of your Bible and check out the index, and if that is deemed unsuccessful, I am sure you can just about google any and every situation you can imagine, and someone somewhere has thrown together a list of some verses for you!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) ~He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.~
It's so much easier to let God heal your broken heart than trying to do it on your own ability and strength. It's not your job. Jesus is the healer of the broken hearts. When life breaks your heart, know that He is right there to help you put it back together, and remember, it is impossible to put together a puzzle when some of the pieces are missing, you have to give it ALL to Him, so that your heart can be reassembled properly, by the One who wrote the initial blueprints.  

~You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.~ Isaiah 26:3
 Don't mistake God's patient for his absence. His timing is perfect and His presence is constant. He's always with you.
So what if sorrow shakes my faith, what if heartache still remains? I'll trust You, my God, I'll trust You. Because through the good, through the bad, and through the ugly, You are the only constant. You are the One that is always there for me, there with me. Trust in God, and trust in His timing, He and only He knows what is best for you, and when. He does not live to make your life hard, He wants joy in your life, He wants you to be a shining light for Him, He wants you to have peace and happiness. Rest assured He is always at work in your life, and let Him work in your heart.

Lord, help me weigh my words carefully in my heart before I let them escape my lips. ~Karen Ehman
I am human, therefore sometimes I speak before thinking. And, I don't always regret it, because I don't always speak mean things, unrighteous things, rude things. Regardless, when I do, I feel bad enough it covers up the good, clean, and nice things that I have said.

"I keep my eyes on the Lord, with Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken" Psalm 16:8
The devil will sit at my left hand, and try to tempt me into doing things and believing things that are wrong, and untrue, thinking he has the upper hand, and yes sometimes he does succeed, but I promise, with fervent prayer, and reading in His Word, the Lord has won MANY more battles than satan has. My goal in life is no longer help Rachael be a better person, help make Rachael's life easier. It is more structured now to increasing the number of souls for Christ on this earth, making other's lives better, help others in any way I can, make other people's day. Help others find the right path, be the small light that guides them into becoming a light themselves for Christ.

~You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle, Are they not in your book?~ Psalm 56:8
Every tear I've cried, You hold in your hand, You've never left my side and though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm. -Casting Crowns song entitled Praise You in this Storm
Life has a way of hitting hard. It can be hard to walk by faith and not by sight when you are hurting. The comforting thing to know is that God is always there, and that He always loves us. He is there for us, even when our emotions are telling us the opposite. God will never leave or abandon us. And He always provides a way; He always has the next step. He can get you out of whatever you are in. He loves you.

Every single thing that has happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come. -Unknown
As if the Bible is not encouraging enough, I always come across random quotes that seem to perfectly fit into my life also! Every millisecond of our lives in obedience is preparing for us something even better in Heaven. Every second of strife is working for us an eternal weight of glory. So focus on these truths, day by day. Preach His Word into your mind, you are NEW and you are cared for by the greatest Caregiver of ALL time. Let Him shine through you each and everyday in each and every way possible!

"Let your light shine, from the inside out it shows!" Listen to Britt Nicole's song entitled Gold here --->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u_TcXJIbcA

Ron Piper has some dialogue near the end of a song by Shane & Shane, song entitled "Though You Slay Me" a fantastic song, and here are these great words by Ron, which I alluded to earlier in this blog. "Not only is all your affliction momentary, not only is all your affliction light in comparison to eternity, and the glory there, but all of it is totally meaningful. Every millisecond of your pain from the fallen nature or fallen man, every millisecond of your misery in the path of obedience, is producing a peculiar glory you will get because of that. I don't care if it was cancer, or criticism. I don't care if it was slander, or sickness. It wasn't meaningless. It's doing something! It's not meaningless, of course you can't see what it's doing! Don't look to what is seen. When your Mom dies, when your kid dies, when you've got cancer at 40, when a car careens into the sidewalk and takes her out, don't say, "that's meaningless!" It's not. It's working for you an eternal weight of glory. Therefore, therefore, do not lose heart, but take these truths, and day by day focus on them. Preach them to yourself every morning. Get alone with God and preach His Word into your mind until your heart sings with CONFIDENCE that you are new and cared for."
Hear the entire song and dialogue here--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyUPz6_TciY

Someday everything will make perfect sense. So for now laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. ~viralchange.com

 

~Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.~ Matthew 5:14