ESCAPE TO HEAVEN
I married into a vacation-loving family. My in-laws are very intentional about planning annual family vacations. In fact, they start planning the next vacation before the one we are on has ended! This took some adjusting for me. I grew up in a family whose idea of vacation was taking a break from working outside and going to work inside. Family vacations=family work days. I’m so incredibly grateful that my family taught me the value of working hard; I would not trade that work ethic instilled in me, but I’ve also grown to appreciate the value of taking a break and having something fun to look forward to. Sometimes just knowing that relief is coming soon is enough to get you through a difficult day.
In our first years after the accident, family vacations wasn’t an option. Jen needed our care 24/7 and we were afraid to disrupt her routine and put her in unpredictable situations where she might possibly get confused or injured. Instead of taking physical vacations, we took mental ones. We escaped the pain of our earthly facts by focusing on our heavenly realities. One of the ways we did this was by talking about heaven. We wore out Revelation 21:4-5, dreaming of the day when we would have no more tears or pain or sorrow. We’d picture Jen running and dancing and eating with her completely healed, perfect body in heaven. We talked about it and sang about it and laughed about it together. Honestly, it was a lot like having the greatest vacation of all time to look forward to; and, on many painful days, it was enough to help us survive one more day.
If you are struggling to get out of bed today, head to work, or face whatever earthly trouble is wrapping you apart, try6 getting up and reading Revelation 21:4-5 out loud. Ask God to help you mentally escape from the troubles of this world by focusing on your future “vacation” in heaven:
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
We cannot change our earthly facts. Only God can do that if He thinks it’s best for us. We can, however, take a break from them by looking forward to our heavenly realities.
Imagine this…God spent six days creating the earth, and it’s pretty amazing. Think about the mountains and the beaches and all your favorite vacation spots. The best this world has to offer took Him six days. Now consider…Your Heavenly Father has been planning and preparing heaven for you for more than 2,000 years! Can you even fathom how incredible it’s going to be? He’s putting together a family vacation that is exceedingly, abundantly beyond anything you could ever ask or imagine, with no more tears or sorrow or pain…and it’s FOREVER—it never ends! Now that’s something to look forward to!!!
EMBRACING THE PROCESS
In the midst of the storm, sometimes we lose sight of the promises that God has given us. It’s easy to be distracted by the chaos and threat of danger. Physiologically, our brains produce stress hormones , also known as adrenaline, during fight or flight scenarios that increase our physical capacity but impair our ability to reason properly. In the face of real danger, heightened adrenaline can save your life. In the case of a false alarm, it can make you do some crazy things.
One night, my wife woke me up convinced that someone had broken into our home. Immediately, my fight response kicked in. Like most men, I’d do anything to protect my family. I grabbed the closest weapon, which happened to be a baseball bat, ready to defend my home from the intruder. My heart was racing as I headed down the hall to where the suspicious noise was coming from, near the bathroom. The “intruder” turned out to be a gum wrapper scraping the bathroom tile because the heat vent was blowing it around! When I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, a hyper-intense “Batman” ready to strike, I started laughing at how ridiculous I looked.
We are human. It’s easy for us to overreact in the face of a perceived threat. This happened to Jesus’ disciples in Mark 4. They were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat when a fierce storm threatened their lives. They immediately jumped to some false conclusions that could serve as powerful lessons for us in the midst of our storms.
Don’t mistake the presence of a storm for God’s absence. Just because trouble was striking them in the face didn’t mean God was missing. Jesus was in the boat, right beside them the whole time. Incidentally, He was not worried. He was sleeping. This should remind us that our storms aren’t a surprise or a threat to God. They are part of His plan for us. They don’t catch Him off-guard.
Don’t mistake waiting on God as His unwillingness to care. The disciples falsely assumed that because Jesus hadn’t rescued them yet He must not care about them. They were forgetting that He had already promised them success in their journey before they ever got into the boat. In verse 35, Jesus says, “Let us go over to the other side…” He had already guaranteed that they would make it to the other side of this trial. We must be careful not to let the wind and waves cloud our judgement or cause us to forget the promises He has already given to us in His Word.
Don’t scorn the journey, celebrate it. You cannot know the fullness of God’s grace and power apart from storms. The disciples learned something new about Jesus in this storm. They learned He had power over not just sickness and sin, but the elements of the earth. This is a lesson they would need later when He was sealed in a tomb. Your storm will eventually be followed by calm. In its midst, celebrate the fact that God is choosing to reveal more of His power to you! He trusts you with this storm. Trust Him!
When I feel lonely…God is EVERYWHERE AT ALL TIMES
We can feel lonely for a lot of different reasons. Maybe you moved to a new town, just started a new school or a new job, and you think, no one knows my name or even cares if I’m here.
Perhaps a family member, who was supposed to protect you, hurt you. Maybe a trusted friend disappointed you and now there is no one you can trust. Maybe a boyfriend just broke up with you.
Maybe you feel lonely and our societies current culture you want to do what is right and honor God, but your friends are starting to make wrong choices. It is hard to stand alone and stand up for what is right.
Guess what? God knows your name. He has reserved a seat for you at the banquet table in heaven. He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross so you could be here. You are never alone. God is always with you. No matter what happens on this earth, He is your lifelong companion. God is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere at once. God is before, behind, and all around you.
Psalm 139:2-5 helps us understand what omnipresent means:
You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I’m going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
God’s omnipresence is hard for us to understand because we are human, but God is not of our dimension. He isn’t earthbound. He is over the heavens and the earth. Nothing goes unnoticed by God. He sees everything!
God is everywhere, plus His Spirit lives in our hearts. He isn’t only around us, He is in us. Wherever I go He goes. I’m a new person in Jesus: My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
God’s Spirit, who lives is me, is my source of strength and hope:
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
1 John 4:4
Dear Constant Companion,
It gives me so much comfort to know I’m never alone. Even when I feel lonely, You see me. You see my tears, my heartache. You see every injustice done to me. You see the battles I face. Because You are dwelling inside me, You understand me better than I understand myself. I can’t hide from You because You are with me. Even in the darkness, You are there.
Amen!
When I Feel Bad News
Dear Faithful Father,
You chose me for this trial because You knew I would still praise You. Help me be patient and wait for Your perfect timing. Don’t let me be anxious. You did not guarantee that I wouldn’t have trials or troubles, but You promised to be with me. Lord, You never waste a trial or a tear. I may be weeping tonight, but You joy will come through in the morning. Amen.
Still praising!
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fave trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything
Psalm 30:5
…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 9:9-10
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.
When I feel rushed… God is ABLE
When I was in high school before the accident, I was a cheerleader and soccer player. School was hard for me so I had to study extra hours to make good grades. I didn’t have any time to spare. I knew I needed God’s help, and I wanted to make Him my top priority; so I started setting my alarm a half hour early to sit in my lime green chair and spend time with Him. That is when I started journaling my prayers to God and reading the New Testament for the first time on my own. I didn’t just read it, I used colored pens and highlighters and talked to God about what I was reading. I asked Him to help me understand His words and apply them to my life. The more I didn’t it, the more I craved it! God would meet me in that chair. It felt like He was tangibly there giving me a big “hug” for the day. He would whisper encouragement to my heart through His written words. Every morning He gave the exact courage and strength I needed to conquer the day. He gave me His perspective on what was important. That’s how I first began to totally rely on Him.
You can meet with God anywhere and anytime. It doesn’t have to be in the morning, but I have found that meeting with God first before I do anything else does have a few benefits:
*If I meet with God first, I don’t run out of time for Him.
*When I meet with God first, I seem to be able to accomplish more.
Time with God calms my heart, clears my mind, and miraculously makes a way for me to accomplish more than I could if I attacked the day on my own. I need Him to act on my behalf, so I’ve found that I don’t have time not to meet with Him.
The psalmist explains this beautifully: “I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words” (Psalm 119:147).
When I feel Insecure…God is my BEST FRIEND
Did you ever go to extreme lengths to catch the attention or win the approval of someone else? My cousin once used duct tape to “wax” her eyebrows like the older girl’s at school—and lost half of her left eyebrow.
I used to sit on the beach with a giant book (upside down) when I was too young to read so I could be like my Aunt who loved books. What was I thinking, missing all the fun in the water?
My brother once shaved his head into a ridiculous mohawk to look like the other boys on his baseball team.
Come on. I know you’ve done something… fess up!
Sometimes we think we have to look like someone else or act like someone else in order to be accepted. We might feel pressure to change who we are or to become something we aren’t to get someone to like us. Have you ever noticed that when you are feeling insecure, all your fears and anxiety might be cured by one person choosing to accept you and be your friend or one boy giving you attention? While those friendships can be a gift, they can also leave a void because friends and boyfriends come and go.
God is my secure friend. He is always choosing me. Check out what Romans 5:8 says: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” We don’t have to change who we are or change our behavior to receive God’s approval. He loves us when we’re unlovable. Before we choose Him He chose us!
This is what Jesus said to His followers: “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you”(John 15:15-16).
God didn’t just choose me, He confided in me. That’s what close friends do. When I moved to a new state in fourth grade I had no friends. I quickly realized God was my best friend. Now I’m thirty-three, and many of my friends are married and having babies. I’m still single, and even though God had blessed me with a few dear friends, He is still my Best Friend. God fills up the insecurities in my heart with His truth and love and His purpose for me. He gives me exactly what I need to make it through each moment of the day. He always shows up and never changes His mind about me. My other friends aren’t my essential rock like Jesus is; there’re just icing on the cake.
When I feel insecure, I feel lonely and different, like something is missing or wrong with me. What’s wrong is the focus is all on me! When I’m confident in my relationship with God, I’m not needy. People want to be around me because I’m speaking life and hope to others instead of worrying about myself: “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people…God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Dear Counselor,
We are all on the same path, searching for love and belonging. Thank You that my identity and purpose is in You alone. Instead of focusing on my own desire to be seen and heard, help me to smile and speak life to someone else who is struggling. I can share You hope with them. I can encourage them to never give up. Wow, Lord that changes everything.
My insecurity turned into purpose. Amen!
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When My Future Is Uncertain
Dear All-Knowing Father,
You planned out every day of my life before one of them came to be. You know my future, and You’ve made it a good one. Please, Lord, help me rest in Your Presence. I want to be so close to You that I can feel every move You make and be in step with You. Amen.
I will follow wherever You go!
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I ;have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Psalm 139:16
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.
“Pain shows you the beauty of not being in pain. The bad days help you really cherish the good days.”
When I Am Afraid
Dear Mighty One,
I confess to You that I have fear and anxiety. I know fear is not from You, but from Satan, and I know he is under my toes. I am claiming the verse that says, “You have not given me a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind.” Today, I refuse to be paralyzed by fear. Father, I know with You, all things are possible. You promise to come to my rescue. Even though my situation today may be unstable, You are my secure Rock! Amen.
Choosing to be courageous…
2 Timothy 1:7KJV
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind.
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?
Isaiah 41:13
For I am the Lord your Lord who takes hold of your right hand and says to you do not fear; I will help you.
When I Need To Feel Special
Hey Daddy! It’s your girl. I just wanted to come before You today because You are so peaceful and make me feel special. I am always so important to You. I love how You give me Your undivided attention. I want to change the world for You. I want to be used by You every single second of every day. I want faith to move mountains. Amen.
Thanks for listening! I will talk to You later!
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
Psalm 139:2-4
You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You, Lord, know it completely.
What Do I Need to Know About Satan’s Lies?
1. They are all still the same!
We have traveled the globe and had people white down the lies they believe. We have thousands of notecards of lies keeping people from their calling and ministry, and guess what? Satan uses the same lies on all of us. You are not alone. Maybe Satan has whispered the lie that you are unseen, rejected, unloved, unworthy, not good enough, or unforgiving. We aren’t minimizing your lies; we’re just saying they aren’t new. Satan is not sovereign. God is. Satan did not create you. God did. Satan only has old tricks, so we can learn how to beat them.
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world
(1 John 4:4).
2. They are all about me!
They are all selfish! They are intentional and appeal to the things we desire in the flesh. Remember, Satan’s goal is to get us so focused on ourselves, our anxiety, our troubles, and our inadequacies that we become useless for the Kingdom. If he can get me consumed with myself, I won’t be thinking about helping others! Go back and read the list of lies. They all involve keeping your eyes, mind, and heart fixed on you. Wait and see what happens when you instead fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith!
We do this be keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne (Hebrews 12:2, NLT).
3. I choose whether to believe them or not.
Satan’s only power over you is the power you give him by the lies you choose to believe. You have a choice. Satan is not all-powerful. In fact, he is a lot less powerful than you because the Holy Spirit, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you!
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:11).
4. Truth is more powerful and sets you free.
Sometimes we get comfortable with our lies. It’s easier to live with them than without them when we have made them our identity. The way we overcome the lie is to stop agreeing with it and start fighting back with the truth. It’s choosing, maybe multiple times a day, to switch your brain from obsessing on the lie to focusing on the truth of God’s Word. That’s what Jesus did and what millions of people just like you have learned to do for centuries. You can find freedom from your lies. The truth of the Lord is powerful to deliver you from every deception.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free
(John 8:32).
INTENTIONAL PRAYER
Pray and ask God to help you identify any lies you are believing from the enemy. Ask Him to bring them to your mind in a way that you can understand.
Example Prayer:
God, please bring my mind and my body to rest. Take away any confusion. Help me to only hear Your voice, the voice of truth. God, what in my life is keeping me from experiencing freedom in you?
God would you please reveal any lies that I currently believe?
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TRUE NORTH
When you are lost or trying to find your way, one of the first rules of navigation is to find true north and start over from there. True north is the direction of the North Pole. It’s exact and constant and never changes, unlike magnetic north. Magnetic north is the direction the needle points on a compass because of the earth’s magnetic field, and it changes about 25 miles a year due to variations in the earth’s core. That might not sound like much, but it’s enough to get you very lost if you don’t make adjustments. Pilots who navigate using magnetic north still have to find true north and recalibrate from there in order to find their way…or they could end up landing their plane in the middle of the ocean!
The same is true when you are lost in your brokenness. It’s hard to know where to start when you are overwhelmed with shattered pieces. A lot of well-meaning people will probably try to give you advice on what to do. It’s nice that they care, but they are your magnetic north. They might be close to the truth, but when you are wandering, you can’t afford to be a few degrees off. You must start with your true north, that One that never changes, and that means starting with the absolute, obvious commands and promises in God’s Word.
I’ll never forget the first Thanksgiving after our car wreck. Jen was still in a coma at the University of Virginia hospital, 90 minutes from our home town. Linda and I had just been released from different hospitals, but we couldn’t go home because our house was not wheelchair accessible. We would both be recovering in wheelchairs for months, so we were staying with my parents in their one-story house. Someone was kind enough to deliver turkey dinner, and we were attempting to go through the motions of Thanksgiving traditions without Jen. We were drowning in sorrow and uncertainty. Our hearts were heavy with grief, and we felt guilty for trying to do anything”normal.” I remember thinking that “normally” I would be leading our family in sharing what we were thankful for, but at this moment, I didn’t feel very thankful. I was angry and confused. Then suddenly and supernaturally,
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 came to my mind:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
My sister-in-law says that she remembers me standing up and making a bold announcement. I don’t think I really stood on the outside because my pelvis was broken in two places, but I do remember taking a stand on behalf of my family, or what was left of it. I said “We are all sad. We don’t know what the future holds. None of us knows exactly what we should be doing or feeling right now. So we are going to do the one thing we know for sure God would want us to do—rejoice, pray, and give thanks—because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 became our true north. Whether we felt like it or not, we circled back to these three things. When we were lost in our brokenness, we came back and started here.
*Rejoice ALWAYS
*Pray CONTINUALLY
*Give thanks in ALL circumstances
God graciously showed me that I don’t have to be thankful “for” my circumstances, but I could choose to thank and praise God “in” them. At the very least, I could thank Him for forgiving my sins and praise Him for the free gift of salvation and the promise of living with Him in heaven one day. Often, we didn’t want to pray or be joyful, but we knew it was our only absolute set of directions in the midst of our wandering. As we began to do the things we were certain God wanted us to do, He began to take care of our uncertainties and put our broken pieces back together.
You can’t fix your brokenness. Only God can. While you are waiting on Him, you can do the things you know He has told you to do: rejoice, pray, give thanks.
There are only two things that last forever: the Word of God and the souls of man. That’s why you’ve got to choose to navigate your soul (and the souls of those you love) on nothing else but God’s Word, whether you feel like it or not. Stick with true north—the things you know for sure God has told you to do—and let Him do the rest of the navigating for you. He will get your where He wants you to go when you start with Him!
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When I feel doubtful…God is FAITHFUL
I’m about to ask you some very tough questions. Be completely open and honest: Have you ever doubted God? Do you think it is wrong to doubt God? Why or why not?
For many believers, doubt is a part of our spiritual journey. Some doubts are caused by other influences, some are caused by unimaginable circumstances, and some are just peer curiosity. I might doubt God’s love for me, His goodness, or His power. I might doubt that I am who He says I am. I might doubt His Word is true or that the stories in the Bible actually happened. I might doubt that God sees me, hears me, or forgives my sins. The list can go on and on. Whatever your doubts about God may be, I’m going to ask you to cling to one truth about who God is while you work through your thoughts question. “If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful for He cannot deny who He is” (2 Timothy 2:13).
God is faithful. He cannot be anything else. He is faithful in love and kindness. He if faithful to pursue you. He is faithful even when you can’t be. That means you can run to Him with your doubts and questions. Be honest with Him. Many turn away from God because they are doubting and they are not honest with God or don’t seek Him for answers. Remember, nothing can separate you from God’s love. Your doubts do not make Him love you any less. He is not afraid of your tough questions. He can’t wait to spend time with you and listen to what you have to say. He values you. He knows your inner anxious thoughts, so you can be real and vulnerable with Him. Tell Him you’re struggling. Ask for help in your unbelief.
Not only does God promise to be faithful, but He also promises to be merciful when we have questions about Him. He commanded His followers to “show mercy to those whose faith is wavering” (Jude 22). Mercy means that you do not get what you deserve. Remember when Jesus rose from the dead and how Thomas doubted it was really Jesus (John 20:25)? Notice how kind and patient Jesus was with Thomas. Then there was also Peter, who rejected and denied even knowing Jesus. Just a few hours before He died. After His resurrection, Jesus sought out Peter to show His love and forgiveness to him (see John 21). That is the heart of Jesus for you today in the midst of your doubts and questions.
Dear Lover of my Soul,
Thank You for inviting me to come closer and to spend time with You. I’m speechless because there is nothing that I can do to make You stop loving me. I can rest in Your everlasting arms while I grow and wrestle with my faith. You see my potential and what I will become with Your help. Lord, I wish there was a word greater than faithfulness because You go beyond faithfulness.
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When I feel treated unfairly…God is my DEFENDER
When was the last time you were overlooked, wrongly accused, discriminated against, or treated unfairly in some way? If you have siblings or roommates, I’m sure there have been times you were blamed for things that were not your fault. Part of growing up involves learning how to respond to injustice in a positive, healthy way.
Often, our go-to response is to get angry because we want the unfair wrong to be made right. Left alone, anger usually leads to isolation or retaliation. If you have been hurt in the past, you’re tempted to put up walls to protect yourself, walls to keep you safe. Maybe you made a vow that “no one will ever hurt me again or treat me unfairly again” so you don’t let anyone get close to you.
Satan loves to get us to feel alone. He tempts us with the lie that no one can be trusted and no one understands. The truth is that Jesus was treated unfairly and tempted just like you. God knows exactly how you feel, and He longs to defend you. His Word promises: “The Lord is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways; Your God is faithful and true; he does what is right and fair.”
Deuteronomy 32:4(GNT)
“The Lord is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways; Your God is faithful and true; he does what is right and fair.”
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Thank You for Your mercy that is new every day.
Thank You for being my Defender. It’s not just a dream or a far-off wish; it’s true! I stand on the solid truth that You will fight for me and protect me. Lord, I put my security in You because You came to live on earth so You would understand everything I feel! Help me move forward in confidence today. Equip me, heal me, and defend me!
When I Need Healing
Lord, I am begging for You to put your total and complete healing hand on my life. I need it so badly because right now every single day is such a struggle just to make it through. I have faith that Your timing is perfect, so please, Lord, give me the patience I will need. Thank You in advance for healing me each day. I will never stop praising You. You are my Healer. You are guiding me to fulfillment and restoration.
Amen.
Waiting patiently…
1 Peter 5:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
Psalm 30:2
Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
When I Am Mourning the Past
Father, show me the new things You want to do in and through me. God, I know it is all about faith. Give me the faith I need for the journey. I long for the day when I will see You face-to-face. It will all be worth it if just one person is saved because of my pain, Amen.
I’m choosing joy!
Philippians 3:13-14
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 43:18-19
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Revelation 21:5
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
100% GUARANTEE
There are things you expect if you live in suburban America. You expect to have a 401K, a minimum of two cars, three meals a day, a TV or cell phone in every room, and unlimited data. One of the things you probably don’t expect is trouble. No one wakes up and says, “I hope I get my fair share of trouble today!”
No one walks down the aisle expecting to start a relationship that will bring a lot of trouble. Yet, God says, “those who marry will face many troubles in this life”(1 Corinthians 1:7).
No one welcomes a baby into the world announcing how this kid is about to encounter a lot of trouble. Yet, Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble”(John 16:33).
People who say that only two things in this world are certain—death and taxes—should add “trouble” to that list. It was, after all, guaranteed by Jesus Himself.
Sound kind of gloomy? Maybe. It depends on how you view trouble.
Jesus was getting ready to go back to heaven. His followers were about to start the greatest movement in history. And, some of His last words to them were warning them to expect trouble. Why? I think He wanted them to be ready. He wanted them to know that trouble did not mean that He had forgotten them. On the contrary! Trouble set the stage for Him to show off His power. He wanted them to push through the trouble to the overcoming part.
Some trouble we bring on ourselves through sin. Guess what? Jesus overcame that when He died on the cross to pay for our sins. He can forgive it and set you free.
Some trouble others bring on us when they sin against us. Guess what? Jesus overcame that when He rose again, proving that dead things can have life again. Dead marriages can be resurrected. Dead family relationships can be brought to life. Financial problems can be fixed. Sorrow can turn into joy.
Some trouble God chooses for us to strengthen us and increase our faith. He only does this when it is for our good and the good of others. We covered that previously with Jeremiah 29:11. And, Jesus overcame God-ordained trouble when He Himself became obedient to death on the cross. He didn’t want to choose it, but He did because He trusted God’s plan. It turned out to be a good one.
No matter what kind of trouble comes your way, Jesus has already overcome it. Not only that, but the trouble part is temporary and the overcoming part is eternal. If you could make a timeline of your life that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, and that timeline included eternity in heaven, your years of trouble on earth would look like a tiny dot. You can survive the dot! You can survive anything when you know it’s ending, in victory, soon.
There are two things you can expect in this life:
*You will have trouble.
*Jesus has already overcome it.
Make that three…
*There will be an end to the trouble soon!
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this would you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world
—John 16:33
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When I feel exhausted…God is my REST
Raise your hand if you’re exhausted today. Have you ever stopped long enough to ask why? Often when I’m exhausted, I’m putting too much pressure on myself or have too many expectations of what I should by achieving. Sometimes I’m doing lots of good things, but I struggle to say no to the things God prepared for someone else to carry, and I get burnt out.
Life isn’t a sprint it’s a marathon. God has set a pace for us. He created rest. After six days of speaking the world into existence God rested the entire seventh day. In fact, Sabbath rest is one the Ten Commandments. Why? Because God knows how much our physical and emotional selves need rest. The command to rest is for our good. We were created in His image, which means that we were created to enjoy regular rhythms of rest just like He did.
Often the more we have on our to-do list, the more we to do the most important thing, which is to spend time with God. God’s presence is a place of rest; it’s a break from the world and its burdens. Feed your soul with God’s love letter. Seek Him every day. God’s Word reveals His beauty and His purpose for our lives. The more we read it, the more we experience God as our rest and renewal. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Almighty Great I AM,
I run to You today, a place of safety and security that nothing can pass through. When I look into Your eyes through Your word, everything else vanishes because I know I am right where I’m meant to be. Please renew my mind and soul today. You are my strength, my security, and my safe haven. I want to rest right here. I don’t want to move. I want my heart to be captured by Your warm embrace.
Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If your life seems exhausting, maybe you are trying to do things in your own strength. We can lost in our own pressures. We try to make God fit into our agenda, when we need to sit at His feet and let Him dictate our agenda. It saves us a lot of time and frustration when God gives us His plans for the day before we start running. If God is in it, nothing can stop it. If God isn’t in it, we are wasting our energy.
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When I Don’t Fit In
My Best Friend,
I have to fight to get better every day. It is hard for me to fit in with my friends. I am more focused on You and things that matter for eternity. A lot of what people talk about is meaningless to me. I am trusting You to bring me the friends who I need. Thank You for being My Best Friend. You are enough for me! Amen.
Still trusting…
Proverbs 18:24
One who had unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Psalm 59:16
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
“The VICTORY is greater than the suffering. We must have an EXPECTATION of what God is going to do.”
When I Need the Impossible
This was Jen’s New Year’s Resolution prayer one year after her accident:
When people look at me, I don’t want them to see Jen Barrick, but to see Christ. Help me be a replica of You. I want to do the impossible this year! Take my life and allow Your glory to shine! Amen.
Forever hoping…
Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Luke 1:37
For no word from God will ever fail.
Psalm 77:4
You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
“When I’m in pain—
I remember how Christ
Suffered for us on Calvary. He paid for every sin on the cross. God shows me grace every day.”
When I feel broken…God is the GREAT TRANSFORMER
What do you do when something—your favorite coffee mug, flatiron, purse, or bronzer— breaks? Since broken things are worthless because they can’t be used, we tend to throw them away and go out to buy a new one. But it’s not possible to go shopping for a new brain, body, relationship, or family. So what do you do when you are broken? The same thing you do when something valuable, like your car or laptop, quits working. You take it to someone who knows how to fix it.
No matter how broken you are, you never lose your value. God never views you as worthless. When you are broken, He loves you all the more. He will never refuse you or discard you. In fact, He would rather have you come to Him broken than pretending to be anything else. Most of us want something that “looks” like it’s new and whole but that’s not how God feels. His Word says He longs to be near the brokenhearted and that He actually prefers us that way:
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Psalm 51:17
Jesus takes us just as we are, broken and messy. He is the great Transformer. We become a new creation in HIs hands. He transforms our brokenness into beauty, our pain into purpose, our mess into a new mission. He can’t wait to come to our rescue. Our brokenness is often our greatest blessing because it’s usually what gets us out of the way and enables the Master to do His greatest work. He longs to change us into something new He can use for His glory.
Friends around you may look as if they have it all together on the outside but almost everyone is broken somewhere inside. You may wish you could be like someone else, but you don’t know what’s broken deep beneath their layers of protection. Wholeness is all about perspective. God views wholeness as holiness, righteous, restoration, things only Jesus can give us after we are broken. The world views wholeness as success, health, a perfect body, plenty of followers on social media, or a good paying job. We get so easily enthralled with celebrities and royalty, what they wear and do and like, but we forget that we are royalty! We are daughters of the King. God has the power to transform us, but we have to walk in it, on the crown, embrace His gifts and His view of us. Embrace the royalty He had to offer, and quit trying to be perfect by the world’s standards.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you that I am free to be me. It’s an honor to think that I was handpicked by You. Transform my insecurities into a strong tower. Help me not to loose at myself in shame or defeat. In you I am whole; in you, I have victory. I want to embrace that victory and claim it out loud. Thank you for not being a dead king but a Risen King—Almighty Jesus, Savior of the world!